Remembering the Past: Vampire Academy
by Natalya Rose
Summary: The VA gang all come together to read the books in order to save the future, and some surprise characters will pop in. Sorry, I suck at summarizing. I know this has been done before, but please give it a chance.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.**

**I know this type of story has been done before, but I really wanted to do one. I hope you enjoy.**

**As always, please review.**

**Sonya Karp- Sonya K**

**Sonya Belikov- Sonya B**

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Prologue

Rose's POV

I throw the covers off of me as the sound of a fist pounding on my front door disrupts my sleep. The pounding continues, much to my dismay. I sit up and look at the clock and 5:00 is glaring back at me in bright red. I stand and walk to the front door. I toss open the door ready to pummel the person who woke me, only to find a medium-sized box and letter. I grab the box and head back into the apartment. I set the box on the kitchen counter and grab a pair of scissors. I slice through the tape and pull out the letter sitting on top of the books.

_My Dearest Rose,_

_ I know you must be terribly confused about all of this, but I promise to explain everything in time. For now, I have arranged for the following people to meet you in one of the royal apartments at 5:30 pm: Abe Mazur, Janine Hathaway, Vasilisa Dragomir, Christian Ozera, Eddie Castile, Mia Rinaldi, Dimitri Belikov, Dimitri's family, Alberta Petrov, Sonya Karp, Mikhail Tanner, Jill Mastrano, Sydney Sage, and Adrian Ivashkov. You will be staying in the apartment until all the books have been read and all has been explained. All the necessary accommodations have been taken care of. A guardian will come and escort you to the apartment at 5:20pm. As a forewarning, several guardians will be standing outside of the apartment, so do not worry about security. All I can tell you right now is that it is essential that all of you learn from the books, if you wish to maintain a peaceful future. Disaster will come about if you do not._

_With Love,_

_ Richelle Mead_

_P.S. Some surprise guests will also make appearances throughout the reading._

A sigh escapes as I place the letter back on top of the books. _So much for my weekend off. _I decide to go take a shower in hopes of removing the remnants of sleep from me. Ten minutes later I emerge wearing skinny jeans, a black tank top, black sparkly flats, and a purple hoodie. I look at the clock and I realize I have about five minutes before the guardian arrives for me. I pop a bagel in the toaster and grab the cream cheese. I'm just about to take a bite of the bagel, when there's a light knock on the door. _They're early_. I open the door and Christopher Williams, a guardian I had only met a few times, is standing on my doorstep. "Are you ready to go?" I nod and begin to follow him out, before turning back to grab the box of books. I follow him out and across the courtyard.

We arrive at an apartment in the west wing of the palace, near the Ivashkov residences. Christopher opens the door, and all faces swing in my direction. Each face has a look of confusion and anticipation. "Do you know why we were dragged out of bed at such an ungodly hour", asks Christian. I walk further into the room and the door swings closed behind me, causing me to startle. A smirk stretches over several faces. "All I know is that I got this box full of books and a letter telling me that we have to read them in order to save the future." Lissa leans forward, intrigue splayed across her face. "May I see the letter?" I nod, set the box down, and hand her the letter. She quickly skims the letter, nodding her head every once in a while. "She obviously knows something we don't, so I think we should just do as she says." Everyone else nods their head and settles on the couches. I go and sit next to Dimitri, snuggling into his side. Lissa pulls out the first book, titled _Vampire Academy_. "Who would like to read first?" My mom raises her hand, "I will". Lissa hands her the book.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, Richelle Mead does.**

**Please tell me what you think, are the characters awkward?**

**I know that I posted this today, but after some good criticism I decided to edit and add some more commentary.**

**I hope everyone enjoys, and any more advice that can be given is welcomed, but please no flames.**

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** I FELT HER FEAR BEFORE I heard her screams.**

Rose let out a groan and shakes her head. _Oh God why does it have to be my thoughts?_

Lissa turns her head into Christian's shoulder, knowing what dream was being referenced.

** Her nightmare pulsed into me, shaking me out of my own dream, which had had something to do with a beach and some hot guy rubbing suntan oil on me. Images ‒ hers, not mine ‒ tumbled through my mind: fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the twisted metal of a car. The pictures wrapped around me, until some rational part of my brain reminded me that this wasn't _my_ dream.**

Lissa's soft whimpers fill the room as sorrow filters through the room.

Sonya K, looks up from the floor and says, "I am very sorry for what happened to your family. They were good people who didn't deserve to die like that."

Lisa wipes the tears from her eyes, while Christian hugs her body closer to him. "Thank you, I know that they would be proud of me, but it still hurts to think about it."

** I woke up, strands of long, dark hair sticking to my forehead.**

** Lissa lay in her bed, thrashing and screaming. I bolted out of mine, quickly crossing the few feet that separated us.**

** "Liss," I said, shaking her. "Liss, wake up."**

** Her screams dropped off, replaced by soft whimpers. "Andre," she moaned. "Oh God."**

** I helped her sit up. "Liss, you aren't there anymore. Wake up."**

** After a few moments, her eyes fluttered open, and in the dim lighting, I could see a flicker of consciousness start to take over. Her frantic breathing slowed, and she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. I put an arm around her and ran a hand over her hair.**

** "It's okay," I told her gently. "Everything's okay."**

** "I had that dream."**

** "Yeah. I know."**

Everyone sits in silence. Sorrow hangs heavily in the air as the accident plays through their minds.

"Hey, I didn't know that Rose had a tender side. I thought she was purely badass," said Adrian in attempt to lighten the sorrow.

No one laughed, but some of the tension faded away.

Janine paused and then continued to read.

**We sat like that for several minutes, not saying anything else. When I felt her emotions calm down, I leaned over to the nightstand between our beds and turned on the lamp. It glowed dimly, but neither of us really needed much to see by. Attracted by the light, our housemate's cat, Oscar, leapt up onto the sill of the open window.**

** He gave me a wide berth ‒ animals don't like dhampirs, for whatever reason ‒ but jumped onto the bed and rubbed his head against Lissa, purring softly. Animals didn't have a problem with Moroi, and they all loved Lissa in particular. Smiling, she scratched his chin, and I felt her calm further.**

** "When did we last do a feeding?" I asked, studying her face. **

"Please tell me you aren't going to do what I think you're going to do," said Janine with a look of disgust.

"I did what I had to do Mom; I'm her guardian. And besides that awfully stereotypical of you, don't you think?" said Rose.

Janine shakes her head, "I know, I know, old habits die hard I guess. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, but if we want to get out of here anytime soon then we should really start reading again."

Janine nods her head and continues to read.

**Her fair skin was paler than usual. Dark circles hung under her eyes, and there was an air of frailty about her. School had been hectic this week, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd given her blood. "It's been like . . . more than two days, hasn't it? Three? Why didn't you say anything?"**

** She shrugged and wouldn't meet my eyes. "You were busy. I didn't want to‒" **

** "Screw that," I said, shifting into a better position. No wonder she seemed so weak. Oscar, not wanting me any closer, leapt down and returned to the window, where he could watch at a safe distance. "Come on. Let's do this."**

** "Rose‒"**

** "Come _on_. It'll make you feel better."**

** I tilted my head and tossed my hair back, baring my neck. I saw her hesitate, but the sight of my neck and what it offered proved too powerful. A hungry expression crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly, exposing the fangs she normally kept hidden while living among humans. Those fangs contrasted oddly with the rest of her features. With her pretty face and pale blond hair, she looked more like an angel than a vampire.**

** As her teeth neared my bare skin, I felt my heart race with a mix of fear and anticipation. I always hated feeling the latter, but it was nothing I could help, a weakness I couldn't shake.**

No body would look at Rose for fear of their revulsion showing. Suddenly a voice slices through the tension.

"I know that feeling. It's like you just can't shake it no matter what your brain is tell you. The wanting, the craving will always be there, but that doesn't make Rose an awful person or a blood whore. That just makes her willing to do whatever she has to do for her best friend."

Everyone looks at Eddie. Shame is present in every face, but Lissa and Dimitri. Rose stands up and gives Eddie a hug. "Thank you," she whispered quietly.

Janine continued to read, leaving everyone to their guilt for automatically condemning Rose.

** Her fangs bit into me, hard, and I cried out at the brief flare of pain. Then it faded, replaced by a wonderful, golden joy that spread through my body. It was better than any of the times I'd been drunk or high. Better than sex‒or so I imagined, since I'd never done it. It was a blanket of pure, refined pleasure, wrapping me up and promising everything would be right in the world. On and on it went. The chemicals in her saliva triggered and endorphin rush, and I lost track of the world, lost track of who I was.**

"Now that just sounds kinky," said Adrian. Sydney lightly slaps his arm as a warning.

Rose busts out laughing. "Only you could have your mind on sex right at this very moment."

** Then, regretfully, it was over. It had taken less than a minute.**

** She pulled back, wiping her hand across her lips as she studied me. "You okay?"**

** "I . . . yeah." I lay back on the bed, dizzy from the blood loss. "I just need to sleep it off. I'm fine."**

"Ha, I knew you lied to me. Why do you always do that?" asked Lissa.

A look of confusion plays across Rose's face, "Do what?"

"You always down play your own needs, like you don't matter as much as I do."

"Well, I don't Your Majesty."

Lissa rolls her eyes, "That's not true and you know it. You matter just as much to me as I do to you."

Tears well up in Rose's eyes, threatening to spill over.

"Are you going to cry Rose? The world must be ending," said Christian.

Rose laughs, effectively putting an end to the tears, and launches a pillow at Christian's head, nailing him in the eye.

Janine clears her throat and begins to read again.

** Her pale jade-green eyes watched me with concern. She stood up. "I'm going to get you something to eat."**

** My protests came awkwardly to my lips, and she left before I could get out a sentence. The buzz from her bite had lessened as soon as she broke the connection, but some of it still lingered in my veins, and I felt a goofy smile cross my lips. Turning my head, I glanced up at Oscar, still sitting in the window.**

** "You don't know what you're missing," I told him.**

** His attention was on something outside. Hunkering down into a crouch, he puffed out his jet-black fur. His tail started twitching.**

** My smile faded, and I forced myself to sit up. The world spun, and I waited for it to right itself before trying to stand. When I managed it, the dizziness set in again and this time refused to leave. Still, I felt okay enough to stumble to the window and peer out with Oscar. He eyed me warily, scooted over a little, and then returned to whatever had held his attention.**

** A warm breeze‒unseasonably warm for a Portland fall‒ played with my hair as I leaned out.**

"So that's where you were hiding, Kiz," said Abe.

Rose just shakes her head.

Janine suddenly spoke up, "How is it possible you were so close to them and they had only just found you? If I didn't disapproval of your decision to run away with Lissa so much, then I would say you really did do a good job of keeping her safe."

Rose nods her head at Janine, who begins to read again.

**The street was dark and relatively quiet. It was three in the morning, just about the only time a college campus settled down, at least somewhat. The house in which we'd rented a room for the past eight months sat on a residential street with old, mismatched houses. Across the road, a streetlight flickered, nearly ready to burn out. It still cast enough light for me to make out the shapes of cars and buildings. In our own yard, I could see the silhouettes of trees and bushes.**

** And a man watching me.**

Everyone who didn't already know who it was subconsciously leaned forward in their chair.

** I jerked back in surprise. A figure stood by a tree in the yard, about thirty feet away, where he could easily see through the window. He was close enough that I probably could have thrown something and hit him. He was certainly close enough to have seen what Lissa and I had just done.**

** The shadows covered him so well that even with my heightened sight, I couldn't make out any features, save for his height. He was tall. Really tall. He stood there for just a moment, barely discernible, and then stepped back, disappearing into the shadows cast by the trees on the far side of the yard. I was pretty sure I saw someone else move nearby and join him before the blackness swallowed them both.**

** Whoever these figures were, Oscar didn't like them. Not counting me, he usually got along with most people, growing upset only when someone posed an immediate danger. The guy outside hadn't done anything threatening to Oscar, but the cat had sensed something, something that put him on edge.**

** Something similar to what he sensed in me.**

** Icy fear raced through me, almost‒but not quite‒eradicating the lovely bliss of Lissa's bite. Backing up from the window, I jerked on a pair of jeans that I found on the floor, nearly falling over in the process. Once they were on, I grabbed my coat and Lissa's, along with our wallets. Shoving my feet into the first shoes I saw, I headed out the door.**

** Downstairs, I found her in the cramped kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator. One of our housemates, Jeremy, sat at the table, hand on his forehead as he stared sadly at a calculus book. Lissa regarded me with surprise,**

"Just FYI, Lissa, I think he had a huge crush on you."

Lissa shakes her head in disagreement, "No he didn't, Rose."

Rose rolls her eyes at Lissa. "Liss, you didn't see the way he would watch you. It was borderline stalker, but nonetheless it was kind of cute."

** "You shouldn't be up."**

** "We have to go. Now."**

** Her eyes widened, and then a moment later, understanding clicked in. "Are you . . . really? Are you sure?"**

** I nodded. I couldn't explain how I knew for sure. I just did.**

** Jeremy watched us curiously. "What's wrong?"**

** An idea came to mind. "Liss, get his car keys."**

** He looked back and forth between us. "What are you‒"**

** Lissa unhesitatingly walked over to him. Her fear poured into me through our psychic bond, but there was something else too: her complete faith that I would take care of everything, that we would be safe. Like always, I hoped I was worthy of that kind of trust**

** She smiled broadly and gaze directly into his eyes. For a moment, Jeremy just stared, still confused, and then I saw the thrall seize him. His eyes glazed over, and he regarded her adoringly.**

** "We need to borrow your car," she said in a gentle voice. "Where are your keys?"**

** He smiled, and I shivered. I had a high resistance to compulsion, but I could still feel its effects when it was directed at another person. That, and I'd been taught my entire life that using it was wrong. Reaching into his pocket, Jeremy handed over a set of keys hanging on a large red key chain.**

Janine throws Rose and Lissa a look of disapproval, "You know using compulsion on humans is immoral."

Lissa was about to speak, but Rose quickly cut her off. "If it's any consolation, Lissa felt really bad about doing it."

Janine, ready to chastise the two girls is silenced when Abe places a hand on her knee and squeezes lightly. "This is all in the past and they did what they had to do to stay alive. None of us have a right to judge. We all know why they left, and, if we're all honest, we would have done the same thing they did. Now no more interruptions." Janine lets out a huff, but says nothing more on the subject.

** "Thank you," said Lissa. "And where is it parked?"**

** "Down the street," he said dreamily. "At the corner. By Brown." Four blocks away.**

** "Thank you," she repeated, backing up. "As soon as we leave, I want you to go back to studying. Forget you ever saw us tonight."**

** He nodded obligingly. I got the impression he would have walked off a cliff for her right then if she'd asked. All humans were susceptible to compulsion, but Jeremy appeared weaker than most. That came in handy right now.**

** "Come on," I told her. "We've got to move."**

** We stepped outside, heading toward the corner he'd named. I was still dizzy from the bite and kept stumbling, unable to move as quickly as I wanted. Lissa had to catch hold of me a few times to stop me from falling. All the time, that anxiety rushed into me from her mind. I tried my best to ignore it; I had my own fears to deal with.**

** "Rose . . . what are we going to do if they catch us?" she whispered.**

** "They won't," I said fiercely. "I won't let them."**

** "But if they've found us‒"**

"By the way, it really sucked having to out run the Psi-hounds. I mean I know now who sent them, and why, but it still majorly sucked," Rose said to no one in particular.

** "They found us before. They didn't catch us then. We'll just drive over to the train station and go to L.A. They'll lose the trail."**

** I made it sound simple. I always did, even though there was nothing simple about being on the run from the people we'd grown up with. We'd been doing it for two years, hiding wherever we could and just trying to finish high school. Our senior year had just started, and living on a college campus had seemed safe. We were so close to freedom.**

** She said nothing more, and I felt her faith in me surge up once more. This was the way it had always been between us. I was the one who took action, who made sure things happened‒ sometimes recklessly so. She was the more reasonable one, the one who thought things out and researched them extensively before acting. Both styles had their uses, but at the moment, recklessness is called for. We didn't have time to hesitate.**

** Lissa and I had been best friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell _Vasilisa Dragomir_ and _Rosemarie Hathaway_ was beyond cruel, and we'd‒or rather, I'd‒responded appropriately. I'd chucked my book at our teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn't known what those words meant, but I'd known how to hit a moving target.**

Everyone was laughing hysterically. Eddie, Christian, and Adrian fell out of their chairs, uncontrollably shaking with laughter.

Rose lets out a huff and tries to ignore them.

Viktoria suddenly speaks up. "I wish I could have seen the look on your teacher's face when a five-year-old chucked a book at her and hit her."

Rose and Lissa are suddenly lost in laughter as the memory of the first time they meet sweeps through them.

In attempt to regain order, Janine starts to read again.

** Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.**

** "Do you hear that?" she asked suddenly.**

** It took me a few seconds to pick up what her sharper senses already had. Footsteps, moving fast. I grimaced. We had two more blocks to go.**

** "We've got to run for it," I said, catching hold of her arm.**

** "But you can't‒"**

** "_Run_."**

** It took every ounce of my willpower not to pass out on the sidewalk. My body didn't want to run after losing blood or while still metabolizing the effects of her saliva. But I ordered my muscles to stop their bitching and clung to Lissa as our feet pounded against the concrete. Normally I could have out-run her without any extra effort‒particularly since she was barefoot‒but tonight, she was all that held me upright.**

"Which, by the way, hurt a ton. You try running on cement barefooted and see how you like it Rose."

Rose just rolls her eyes, and ignores Lissa's comment.

** The pursuing footsteps grew louder, closer. Black stars danced before my eyes. Ahead of us, I could make out Jeremy's green Honda. Oh God, if we could just make it‒**

** Ten feet from the car, a man stepped directly into our path. We came to a screeching halt, and I jerked Lissa back by her arm. It was _him_, the guy I'd seen across the street watching me. He was older than us, maybe mid-twenties, and as tall as I'd figured, probably six-six or six-seven. And under different circumstances‒say, when he wasn't holding up our desperate escape‒I would have thought he was hot. Shoulder-length brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. Dark brown eyes. A long brown coat‒a duster, I thought it was called.**

Dimitri turns to Rose, "Did you really think I was hot, even then?"

Rose looks at him like he sprouted two heads. "Well duh, I've always thought you were hot, but that was irrelevant at the time."

Dimitri laughs and places a soft, chaste kiss on Rose's lips.

Abe and Janine simultaneously clear their throat in discomfort.

** But his hotness was irrelevant now. **

"No need to be redundant Rose," said Christian in his usual snarkiness.

"You know Christian, if you value your ability to have children, then I suggest you shut it," threatened Rose.

**He was only an obstacle keeping Lissa and me away from the car and our freedom. The footsteps behind us slowed, and I knew our pursuers had caught up. Off to the sides, I detected more movement, more people closing in. God. They'd sent almost a dozen guardians to retrieve us. I couldn't believe it. The queen herself didn't travel with that many.**

** Panicked and not entirely in control of my higher reasoning, I acted out of instinct. I pressed up to Lissa, keeping her behind me and away from the man who appeared to be the leader.**

** "Leave her alone," I growled. "Don't touch her."**

** His face was unreadable, but he held out his hand in what was apparently supposed to be some sort of calming gesture, like I was a rabid animal he was planning to sedate.**

** "I'm not going to‒"**

** He took a step forward. Too close.**

** I attacked him, leaping out in an offensive maneuver I hadn't used in two years, not since Lissa and I had run away. The move was stupid, another reaction born out of instinct and fear. And it was hopeless. He was a skilled guardian, not a novice who hadn't finished his training. He also wasn't weak and on the verge of passing out.**

Janine paused, "That was stupid Rose."

"I know it was, but can you blame me? I knew they were going to take us back to the Academy, and the last time we were there Lissa was going crazy."

"I know why you did it, but it was still stupid to attack him, especially in your state."

** And man, was he fast. I'd forgotten how fast guardians could be, how they could move and strike like cobras. He knocked me off as though brushing away a fly, and his hands slammed into me and sent me backwards. I don't think he meant to strike that hard‒probably just intended to keep me away‒butmy lack of coordination interfered with my ability to respond. Unable to catch my footing, I started to fall, heading straight toward the sidewalk at a twisted angle, hip-first. It was going to hurt. A _lot_.**

** Only it didn't.**

** Just as quickly as he'd blocked me, the man reached out and caught my arm, keeping me upright. When I'd steadied myself, I noticed he was staring at me‒or, more precisely, at my neck. Still disoriented, I didn't get it right away. Then, slowly, my free hand reached up to the side of my throat and lightly touched the wound Lissa had made earlier. When I pulled my fingers back, I saw slick, dark blood on my skin. Embarrassed, I shook my hair so that it fell forward around my face. My hair was thick and long and completely covered my neck. I'd grown it out for precisely this reason.**

Rose turns to Dimitri, "Just out of curiosity, did you really see what happened back in the bedroom?"

Dimitri nods his head in confirmation. "I couldn't help but admire the fact that you were willing all of that for your friend. It was stupid attacking me, but if people were honest they would have to admit that they would have done the same thing you did."

** The guy's dark eyes lingered on the now-covered bite a moment longer and then met mine. I returned his look defiantly and quickly jerked out of his hold. He let me go, though I knew he could have restrained me all night if he'd wanted. Fighting the nauseating dizziness, I backed toward Lissa again, bracing myself for another attack. Suddenly her hand caught hold of mine. "Rose," she said quietly. "Don't."**

** Her words had no effect on me at first, but calming thoughts gradually began to settle in my mind, coming across through the bond. It wasn't exactly compulsion‒she wouldn't use that on me‒but it was effectual, as was the fact that we were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed. Even I knew struggling would be pointless. The tension left my body, and I sagged in defeat.**

** Sensing my resignation, the man stepped forward, turning his attention to Lissa. His face was calm. He swept her a bow and managed to look graceful doing it, which surprised me considering her height. "My name is Dimitri Belikov," he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. "I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess."**

Janine places a small bookmark in the book and closes it. "That's the end of chapter. I think we should read one more chapter, and then eat some breakfast."

Everyone nods their head in agreement.

"Who would like to read next?"

At first no one raised their hand, so Mia decided to read next.

"I will."


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I promise that I haven't abandoned this story. I've just been really busy between college and other issues.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, and no profit is being made off of this story.**

**As always please read and review**

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_**Rose's POV**_

** MY HATRED NOT WITHSTANDING, **

Dimitri looks at me. "Hatred, really? You barely even knew me"

I turn and face him. "Well, yeah, hatred. You were the thing standing between Lissa's safety and her. I had taken her away for a reason and you were bringing us back to the place that had caused the problems in the first place."

Dimitri is quiet for a moment, thinking about my response. "I guess I can understand why you felt like that."

We sat in silence for a moment before Mia began to read again.

**I HAD to admit Dimitri Beli-whatever**

Dimitri threw me an exasperated look before shaking his head.

**was pretty smart. After they'd carted us off to the airport to and onto the Academy's private jet, he'd taken one look at the two of us whispering and ordered us separated.**

** "Don't let them talk to each other," he warned the guardian who escorted me to the back of the plane. "Five minutes together, and they'll come up with an escape plan."**

"Did you really think you'd be able to escape?" asked my mom.

I shrug my shoulders a little, "I knew that we wouldn't be able to, but that didn't stop me from hoping and planning an escape."

Mom just shakes her at me and motions for Mia to continue reading.

**I shot him a haughty look and stormed off down the aisle. Never mind the fact we ****_had_**** been planning escape.**

** As it was things didn't look good for our heroes-or heroines, rather. **

"Oh that didn't sound conceited at all did it, Rose?" asked Christian.

I just roll my eyes at him and ignore his attempt at playing the devil's advocate.

**Once we were in the air, our odds of escape dropped further. Even supposing a miracle occurred and I did manage to take out all ten guardians, we'd sort of have a problem in getting off the plane. I figured they might have parachutes aboard somewhere, but in the unlikely event I'd be able to operate one, there was still that little issue of survival, seeing as we'd probably land somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.**

Lissa looks at me and says, "At least I know you were paying attention in at least one class."

** No, we weren't getting off this plane until it landed in the backwoods of Montana. I'd have to think of something then, something that involved getting past the Academy's magical wards and ten times as many guardians. **

"Yeah. No problem," said Adrian

**Yeah. No problem.**

"Nooo . . . I think like Rose." Adrian says in a dramatic style.

Everyone shakes their heads and I roll my eyes, motioning for Mia to continue.

** Although Lissa sat at the front with the Russian guy, her fear sang back to me, pounding inside my head like a hammer. My concern for her cut into my fury. They couldn't take her back ****_there_****, not to that place. I wondered if Dimitri might have hesitated if he could feel what I knew. Probably not. He didn't care.**

Dimitri whips his head around to face me. "Of course I care. I may not have known you two, but she radiated fear. Anyone with eyes could have seen her fear."

I felt really bad. "Hey I didn't know you either and I was angry that we were being dragged back to the Academy. I'm very sorry for my past self's thoughts on you."

Dimitri places a small kiss on my cheek, "I forgive you."

** As it was, her emotions grew so strong that for a moment, I had the disorienting sensation o sitting in her seat‒in her ****_skin_**** even. It happened sometimes, and without much warning, she'd pull me right into her head. **

Mia paused and said, "That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard."

**Dimtri's tall frame sat beside me, and my hand‒****_her_**** hand‒gripped a bottle of water. He leaned forward to pick up something, revealing six tiny symbols tattooed on the back of his neck: ****_molnija_**** marks. They looked like two streaks of jagged lightning crossing in an X symbol. One for each Strigoi he'd killed. Above them was a twisting line, sort of like a snake, that marked him as a guardian. The promise mark.**

** Blinking, I fought against her and shifted back into my own head with a grimace. I hated when that happened. Feeling Lissa's emotions was one thing, but slipping into her was something we both despised. She saw it as an invasion of privacy, so I usually didn't tell her when it happened.**

A loud huff left Lissa's mouth. "How many times does it actually happen? You know what I don't want to know. I just wish you would have told me when it happened, so I could make sure that it didn't happen as often."

"I know that I should have told you when it happened, but can you see it from my point of view? I wanted to protect you and if you knew what caused me to slip into your head then I might not be able to protect you."

Lissa gives me a sour look, "Fine I understand, but that doesn't mean I approve."

A frown finds its way on to my lips, "Just remember that understanding for later on, okay?"

When Lissa didn't respond Mia, once again, began to read.

**Neither of us could control it. It was another effect of the bond, a bond neither of us fully understood. Legends existed about psychic links between guardians and their Moroi, but stories had never mentioned anything like this. We fumbled through it as best we could.**

** Near the end of the flight, Dimitri walked back to where I sat and traded places with the guardian beside me. I pointedly turned away, staring out the window absentmindedly.**

** Several moments of silence passed. Finally, he said, "Were you really going to attack all of us?"**

** I didn't answer.**

** "Doing that . . . protecting her like that‒it was very brave." **

"Stupid, what she did was stupid . . . even for a novice." Every head turns toward my mom. "I understand why she did what she did, but it was still irresponsible of her to not tell anyone what was going on. I'm not trying to berate her, I'm just saying that she should not have allowed her anger to take control."

Dimitri was about to open his mouth to defend me, but I beat him to the punch. "I agree with you. I should not have allowed my anger to get the best of me, but it doesn't now so I would say that I have come a long way from then."

Mom stands up and hugs me, "Yes, yes you have and I've never been prouder."

**He paused. "****_Stupid_****, but still brave. Why did you even try it?"**

** I glanced over at him, brushing my hair out of my face so I could look him levelly in the eye. "Because I'm her guardian." I turned back toward the window.**

** After another quiet moment, he stood up and returned to the front of the jet.**

** When we landed, Lissa and I had no choice but to let the commandos drive us out to the Academy. Our car stopped at the gate, and our driver spoke with guards who verified we weren't Strigoi about to go off on a killing spree.**

Alberta, who had been sitting in the corner silently, suddenly spoke up. "It's just a precaution, so that we know who is going into the school and who's leaving. Obviously it didn't work your case, but for the most part it is a very successful precaution."

** After a minute, they let us pass on through the wards and up to the Academy itself. It was around sunset‒the start of the vampiric day‒and the campus lay wrapped in shadows.**

** It probably looked the same, sprawling and gothic. The Moroi were big on tradition; nothing ever changed with them. This school wasn't as old as the ones back in Europe, but it had been built in the same style. The buildings boasted elaborate, almost churchlike architecture, with high peaks and stone carvings. Wrought iron gates enclosed small gardens and doorways here and there. After living on a college campus, I had a new appreciation for just how much this place resembled a university more than a typical high school.**

"The architecture sounds absolutely exquisite," says Sydney as turns to face Adrian, "I would love to see it some time."

Adrian nods his head softly, "I think I could probably take you sometime," his voice takes on a teasing tone, "but just a word of warning make sure you keep your neck covered at all times or some guy might want to take a bite out of it."

Sydney's face adopts a scandalized look, and she lightly smacks him on the arm. "You, my friend, are going to end up in the dog house if you keep it up," she said in a very syrupy, sweet voice.

** We were on the secondary campus, which was divided into lower and upper schools. Each was built around a large open quadrangle decorated with stone paths and enormous, century-old trees. We were going toward the upper school's quad, which had academic buildings on one side, while dhampir dormitories and the gym sat opposite. Moroi dorms sat on one of the other ends, and opposite of them were the administrative buildings that also served the lower school. Younger students lived on the primary campus, farther to the west.**

** Around all the campuses was space, space, and more space. **

"Well no duh, Rose, we are in Montana after all," said Christian with a sarcastic smirk gracing his face.

**We were in Montana, after all, miles away from any real city. **

A horrified look finds its way onto Christian's face. "Oh good God, Lissa, please shoot me now."

Lissa stares at him like he had grown two heads, "Why?"

"Because I think like Rose," he said as if it was obvious.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at him, "Sometimes it surprises me how immature you can act."

Christian opens his mouth to respond, but Mia quickly cuts him off.

**The air felt cool in my lungs and smelled of pine and wet, decaying leaves. Overgrown forests ringed the perimeters of the Academy, and during the day, you could see the mountains rising up in the distance.**

** As we walked into the main part of the upper school, I broke away from my guardian and ran up to Dimitri.**

** "Hey, Comrade."**

"Hey Rose, why do you call Dimitri comrade?" asked Karolina.

Dimitri's family had been so quiet that I had forgotten they were in the room. "I don't know . . . I guess that it's because he's Russian."

His family chuckles a little. "So are our nicknames comrade too?" asked Viktoria.

I just roll my eyes.

** He kept walking and wouldn't look at me. "You want to talk now?"**

** "Are you taking us to Kirova?"**

** "****_Headmistress_**** Kirova," he corrected. On the other side of the him, Lissa shot me a look that said, ****_Don't start something_****.**

** "Headmistress. Whatever. She's still a self-righteous old bit-"**

"Manners, Rose, manners," my mother said in reprimanding tone.

** My words faded as the guardians led us through a set of doors‒straight into the commons. I sighed. Were these people ****_really_**** so cruel? There had to be at least a dozen ways to get to Kirova's office, and they were taking us right through the center of the commons.**

** And it was breakfast time.**

Lissa turns her head slightly to the right, so that she could make eye contact with Dimitri. "It was kind of cruel to make us go through the commons during breakfast."

"I hadn't realized that I was breakfast time; one of the guardians that was accompanying us through the Academy said it was the fastest way to her office."

** Novice guardians‒dhampirs like me‒and Moroi sat together, eating and socializing, faces alight with whatever current gossip held the Academy's attention. When we entered, the loud buzz of conversation stopped instantly, like someone had flipped a switch. Hundreds of sets of eyes swiveled toward us.**

** I returned the stares of my former classmates with a lazy grin, trying to get a sense as to whether things had changed. Nope. Didn't seem like it. Camille Conta still looked like the prim, perfectly groomed bitch I remembered, still self-appointed leader of the Academy's royal Moroi cliques. Off to the side, Lissa's gawky near-cousin Natalie watched with wide eyes, as innocent and naive as before.**

** And on the other side of the room . . . well, that was interesting. Aaron. Poor, poor Aaron, who'd no doubt had his heart broken when Lissa left. He still looked as cute as ever‒maybe more so now‒with those same golden looks that complemented hers so well. His eyes followed her every move. Yes. Definitely not over her. It was sad, really, because Lissa had never really been all that into him. I think she'd gone out with him simply because it seemed like the expected thing to do.**

** But what I found most interesting was that Aaron had apparently found a way to pass the time without her. Beside him, holding his hand, was a Moroi girl who looked about eleven but had to be older, unless he'd become a pedophile during our absence. **

"Oh good God I do NOT look eleven. Why does everyone think that?" Mia said in an outraged tone. "I just don't get it."

My mother is the first one to respond, "You'll be very thankful for those youthful looks when you get older."

Mia nods her head and continues on.

**With plump little cheeks and blond ringlets, she looked like a porcelain doll. A very pissed off and evil porcelain doll. She gripped his hand tightly and shot Lissa a look of such burning hatred that it stunned me. What the hell was that all about? She was no one I knew. Just a jealous girlfriend, I guessed. I'd be pissed too if my guy was watching someone else like that.**

** Our walk of shame mercifully ended, though our new setting‒Headmistress Kirova's office‒didn't really improve things. The old hag looked exactly like I remembered, sharp-nosed and gray-haired. She was tall and slim, like most Moroi, and had always reminded me of a vulture. I knew her well because I'd spent a lot of time in her office.**

** Most of our escorts left us once Lissa and I were seated, and I felt a little less like a prisoner. Only Alberta, the captain of the school's guardians, and Dimitri stayed. They took up positions along the wall, looking stoic and terrifying, just as their job description required.**

** Kirova fixed her angry eyes on us and opened her mouth to begin, what would no doubt be a major bitch session. A deep, gentle voice stopped her.**

** "Vasilisa."**

** Startled, I realized there was someone else in the room. I hand't noticed. Careless for a guardian, even a novice one.**

** With a great deal of effort, Victor Dashkov rose from a corner chair. **

A dark rage begins to boil deep in my stomach, and Dimitri placed a strong hand on my arm in support. I take a deep breath in an attempt to cool the scorching rage. I look over at Lissa to see how she was handling this. She has her head buried in the crook of Christian's neck, shaking like a leaf. Victor had been so close to her and her family and to have been betrayed by him the way she was, had made it very hard for her to trust people outside of our small little group.

A few of the others who knew about what he had done noticed our shift in attitudes. Mia had paused for a moment, but decided to carry on with the reading.

**_Prince_**** Victor Dashkov. Lissa sprang up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his frail body.**

** "Uncle," she whispered. She sounded on the verge of tears as she tightened her grip.**

** With a small smile, he gently patted her back. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you safe, Vasilisa." He looked toward me. "And you too, Rose."**

** I nodded back, trying to hide how shocked I was. He'd been sick when we left, but this‒this was ****_horrible_****. He was Natalie's father, only about forty or so, but he looked twice that age. Pale. Withered. Hands shaking. My heart broke watching him. With all the horrible people in the world, it didn't seem fair that this guy should get a disease that was going to kill him young and ultimately keep him from becoming king.**

"Personally, I am very glad that he did not become king. Lissa has made a very good queen and she has made some remarkable new laws that have made the Moroi take on a more actively role in their safety, while allowing the Dhampir children to still have a childhood," said Alberta, reminding us all again that she was in the room.

** Although not technically her uncle‒the Moroi used family terms very loosely, especially the royals‒Victor was a close friend of Lissa's family and had gone out of his way to help her after her parents had died. I liked him; he was the first person I was happy to see here.**

** Kirova let them have a few more moments and then stiffly drew Lissa back to her seat.**

** Time for the lecture.**

** It was a good one‒one of Kirova's best, which was saying something. She was a master at them. I swear that was the only reason she'd gone into school administration, because I have yet to see any evidence of her actually ****_liking_**** kids. **

All of the former St. Vladimir's students all laughed, knowing exactly what I was talking about.

My mother's voice broke through our laughter, "she loves kids, and has three children of her own."

We all stare at her. "Really?" I ask.

My mother nods her head. "They all went to St. Vladimir's about seven years ago."

I nod my head, trying to wrap my head around the fact that the wicked witch of the west had children.

**The rant covered the usual topics: reckless behavior, self-centeredness . . . Bleh. I immediately found myself spacing out, alternatively pondering the logistics of escaping through the window in her office.**

"Oh thanks, Rose, you left me stranded there," said Lissa in a mock angry tone.

I can feel the slight blush starting to spread along my cheeks. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've heard so many of them that it's a habit."

Suddenly my mom pipes in. "I should know, I have a huge stack of letters informing me of your behavior. Unfortunately, you are a lot like your father."

An offended look extends across my father's face, "Hey, what's that suppose to mean?"

My mother shakes her head in exasperation. "Abe, you know exactly what that means. You were just as bad when you were growing up. There's a reason that your nickname is Zmey."

My father looked disgruntled, but he refused to respond.

Mia's eyes widened and she quickly continued to read.

** But when the tirade shifted to me‒well, that was when I tuned back in.**

** "You , Miss Hathaway, broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect a Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here. The strigoi would love to finish off the Dragomirs; ****_you_**** nearly enabled them to do it."**

"Everyone seems to forget that she did keep me safe," Lissa said. "She allowed me to feed off of her, so that I was in good shape. She kept us off the grid and got us out when the psi-hounds went after us."

My mother nods her head. "She did keep you safe, but she still should have told someone what was going on."

An awkward silence settles over us, and I quickly gesture for Mia to continue.

** "Rose didn't kidnap me." Lissa spoke before I could, her voice and face calm, despite her uneasy feelings. "I wanted to go. Don't blame her."**

** Ms. Kirova ****_tsk_****ed at us both and paced the office, hands folded behind her narrow back.**

** "Miss Dragomir, you could have been the one who orchestrated the entire plan for all I know, but it was still ****_her_**** responsibility to make sure you didn't carry it out. If she'd done her duty, she would have notified someone. If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe.**

** I snapped.**

** "I ****_did_**** do my duty!" I shouted, jumping up from my chair. Dimitri and Alberta both flinched but left me alone since I wasn't trying to hit anyone. Yet. "I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of ****_you_****"‒I made a sweeping gesture around the room‒"could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to."**

** Through the bond, I felt Lissa trying to send me calming messages, again urging me not to let anger get the best of me. Too late.**

** Kirova stared at me, her face blank. "Miss Hathaway, forgive me if I fail to see the logic of how taking her out of a heavily guarded, magically secured environment is protecting her. Unless there's something you aren't telling us?"**

** I bit my lip.**

** "I see. Well, then. By my estimation, the only reason you left‒aside from the novelty of it, no doubt‒was to avoid the consequences of that horrible, destructive stunt you pulled just before your disappearance."**

My mother's head whips around to face me. "What is she talking about? What could be worse than all of the other things you've done? You know what I probably don't want to know."

"It's probably somewhere in the book, . . . you probably don't want to know."

** "No, that's not‒"**

** "And that only makes my decision that much easier. As a Moroi, the princess must continue on here at the Academy for her own safety, but we have no such obligations to you. You will be sent away as soon as possible."**

"That is pure prejudice. I should have been in as much trouble as Rose, but they didn't punish me or even think about expelling me," said Lissa. "It's just sad that we hold Moroi above the Dhampir even though they risk their lives for the Moroi. I want to change that."

"And you will," said Yeva.

** My cockiness dried up. "I . . . what?"**

** Lissa stood up beside me. "You can't do that! She's my guardian."**

** "She is no such thing, particularly since she isn't even a guardian at all. She's still a novice."**

** "But my parents‒"**

** "I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have changed. Miss Hathaway is expendable. She doesn't deserve to be a guardian, and she will leave."**

** I stared at Kirova, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone? Or maybe you'll send me off to my ****_father_****?"**

"You best watch it little girl," threatened my father.

"Whatever you say old man, but this was before I met you. And just so you know, you don't scare me."

"Well, little girl, that's because you have yet to see me at my scariest."

I roll my eyes, "bring it on Zmey."

Before Abe could respond to my challenge, Mia began reading.

** Her eyes narrowed at the bite in that last word. When I spoke again, my voice was so cold, I barely recognized it.**

** "Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day."**

** "Miss Hathaway," she hissed, "you are out of line."**

** "They have a bond." Dimtri's low, accented voice broke the heavy tension, and we all turned toward him. I think Kirova had forgotten he was there, but I hadn't. His presence was way too powerful to ignore.**

"I never stood a chance did I?" Adrian asked.

I felt so bad, but I had to answer honestly. "No I don't think you did. I wish I could say that you did, but Dimitri had my heart the entire time."

A sad expression flits across adrian's face as Sydney leans in, resting her head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around her waist and places his head on top of her head.

I couldn't help but think that they made an extremely cute couple, and I was really happy that Adrian had found someone that loved him for the way that he was and that she made him want to be a better him.

** He still stood against the wall, looking like some sort of cowboy sentry in that ridiculous long coat of his. He looked at me, not Lissa, his dark eyes staring straight through me. "Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don't you?"**

** I at least had the satisfaction of seeing Kirova caught off guard as she glanced between us and Dimitri. "No . . . that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries."**

** "It's obvious," he said. "I suspected as soon as I started watching them."**

"Stalker," Christian said in a sing-songy voice.

** Neither Lissa nor I responded, and I averted my eyes from his.**

** "That is a gift," murmered Victor from his corner. "A rare and wonderful thing."**

"Of course he thinks it's a wonderful thing. It was all apart of his plan. It was cruel and beyond sadistic," said a distressed Lissa.

** "The best guardians always had that bond," added Dimitri. "In the stories."**

** Kirova's outrage returned. "Stories that are centuries old," she exclaimed. "Surely you aren't suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she's done?"**

** He shrugged. "She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential‒"**

** "Wild and disrespectful?" I interrupted. "Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?"**

** "Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now," said Kirova. "Her ****_sanctioned_**** guardian."**

** "You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?"**

** That was pretty mean of me to say‒particularly since most Moroi and their guardians were of Russian or Romanian descent‒but the comment seemed cleverer at the time than it really was. And it wasn't like I was one to talk. I might have been raised in the U.S., but my parents were foreign-born. My dhampir mother was Scottish‒red-haired, with a ridiculous accent‒**

"My accent is not ridiculous. Hell, I don't think I even have an accent anymore," my mother said.

My father leaned into her and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle like a little school girl. I desperately hoped that I wouldn't end up with a younger sibling.

**and I'd been told my Moroi dad was Turkish. That genetic combination had given me skin the same color as the inside of an almond, along with what I liked to thin were semi-exotic desert-princess features: big dark eyes and hair so deep brown that it usually looked black. I wouldn't have minded inheriting the red hair, but we take what we can get.**

"Yet again, Rose, you're having a moment of vanity. I think you should get that checked out, you seem to have a lot of those," said Christian, once again playing the devil's advocate.

** Kirova threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to him. "You see? Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and ****_very_**** raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian."**

** "So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again."**

** "Impossible. She'll still be hopelessly behind her peers."**

** "No, I won't," I argued. No one listened to me.**

** "Then give her extra training sessions," he said.**

** They continued on while the rest of us watched the exchange like it was a Ping-Pong game. My pride was still hurt over the ease with which Dimitri had tricked us, but it occurred to me that he might very well keep me here with Lissa. Better to stay at this hellhole than be without her. Through our bond, I could feel her trickle of hope.**

** "Who's going to put in the extra time?" demanded Kirova. "You?"**

** Dimitri's argument came to an abrupt stop. "Well, that's not what I‒"**

"Dimitri, you best offer to help her. She was a young girl trying to do what she thought was best for her friend, and I know that I raised you better than that," scolded Olena.

A slight blush spreads across Dimitri's cheeks. "Я сделал ей помочь Мама, я обещаю."

"Хороший мальчик."

** Kirova crossed her arms with satisfaction. "Yes. That's what I thought."**

** Clearly at a loss, he frowned. His eyes flicked toward Lissa and me, and I wondered what he saw. Two pathetic girls, looking at him with big, pleading eyes? Or two runaways who'd broken out of a high-security school and swiped half of Lissa's inheritance?**

"Honestly, you were staring at me with these big brown eyes and I couldn't deny you anything. No I didn't think you were pathetic, either of you, and when I found out why you took Lissa away I couldn't help but admire you."

I smile and lean into Dimitri's chest after I place a kiss on his cheek.

** "Yes," he said finally. "I can mentor Rose. I'll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones."**

** "And then what?" retorted Kirova angrily. "She goes unpunished?"**

** "Find some other way to punish her," answered Dimitri. "Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another. A girl, in particular."**

** His unspoken words made me shudder, reminding me of my earlier statement about "blood whores." Few dhampir girls became guardians anymore.**

I turn to face Dimitri's family, especially his mother, "It was mean of me to have made that comment about blood whores. I was ignorant and that was before I met you guys."

** Victor suddenly spoke up from his corner. "I'm inclined to agree with Guardian Belikov. Sending Rose away would be a shame, a waste of talent."**

** Ms. Kirova stared out her window. It was completely black outside. With the Academy's nocturnal schedule, ****_morning_**** and ****_afternoon_**** were relative terms. That, and they kept the windows tinted to block out excess light.**

** When she turned back around, Lissa met her eyes. "Please Ms. Kirova. Let Rose stay."**

**_Oh, Lissa,_**** I thought. ****_Be careful_****. Using compulsion on another Moroi was dangerous‒particularly in front of witnesses. But Lissa was only using a tiny bit, and we needed all the help we could get.**

Alberta shakes her head, "You should not have tried to use compulsion on Kirova, Lissa, if she had found out that you tried it then you would have been in big trouble."

Lissa blushes and shrugs her shoulders. "I know, but it was Rose. I couldn't not try."

**Fortunately, no one seemed to realize what was happening.**

** I don't even know if the compulsion made a difference, but finally, Kirova sighed.**

** "If Miss Hathaway stays, here's how it will be." She turned to me. "Your continued enrollment at St. Vladimir's is strictly probationary. Step out of line ****_once_****, and you're gone. You will attend classes and required trainings for novices your age. You will also train with Guardian Belikov in every spare moment you have‒before ****_and_**** after classes. Other than that, you are banned from all social activities, except meals, and will stay in your dorm. Fail to comply with any of this, and you will be sent . . . away."**

** I gave a harsh laugh. "Banned from all social activities? Are you trying to keep us apart?" I nodded toward Lissa. "Afraid we'll run away again?"**

** "I'm taking precautions. As I'm sure you recall, you were never properly punished for destroying school property. You have a lot to make up for." Her thin lips tightened into a straight line. "You are being offered a very generous deal. I suggest you don't let your attitude endanger it."**

** I started to say it wasn't generous at all, but then I caught Dimitri's gaze. It was hard to read. He might have been telling me I was an idiot to keep fighting with Kirova. I didn't know.**

** Looking away from him for the second time during the meeting, I stared at the floor, conscious of Lissa beside me and her own encouragement burning in our bond. At long last, I exhaled and glanced up at the headmistress.**

** "Fine. I accept."**

"That's it for this chapter," Mia said as she placed the bookmark inside. We had made it through the second chapter, and just as she finished putting the bookmark inside the book my stomach let loose a loud rumble. A small blush spreads across my cheeks as everyone turns to face me. Dimitri chuckles and then asks, "Hungry much?" I grin sheepishly and then nod my head. "Yeah I didn't get a chance to eat before I was being dragged in here to read books about my life." Everyone shakes their head softly. I stand up and head toward the kitchen, not waiting for everyone else.

* * *

I used google translate, so if they are incorrect please tell me so that I can correct them.

Я сделалей помочьМама, я обещаю: I did help her Momma, I promise

Хороший мальчик: Good boy


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey I decided to post two chapters. This is not technically a chapter from the book, but I thought that I would do some interaction between the characters that didn't involve reading.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, and no profit is being made off of this story.**

**As always, please read and review.**

* * *

Rose's POV

I was sitting in the kitchen eating the last of my donut when Lissa walks in. "Hey Rose, so Christian and I decided on a date for the wedding. We want to get married in December of next year." I roll my eyes and stay silent as Lissa continues on with her wedding spiel. "So I was thinking emerald-green and sapphire blue. I was thinking of putting you in dark blue and the rest of the girls in emerald-green." I'm suddenly confused, "Why am I in a different color?" Lissa lets out of a small laugh. "Well silly, you're in a different color because you're my maid of honor. Well that is if you agree to be my maid of honor." I jump out of my seat and hug Lissa. "Are you serious, I thought you'd never ask. I was starting to think you had someone else in mind for your maid of honor." Lissa rolls her eyes at me and hugs me back. She pulls back and says, "Who else would I have as my maid of honor. You're the only one who I would ever consider for that position." I sit back down and ask, "So are you going to have a big wedding or a small one?" "I have to have a big one, as queen there are several different people I have to invite. I'm hoping that I won't have to exceed 1,500 people." I can feel my eyes practically bug out of my head. "1,500 people?" Lissa nods her head. "I know right, but I can't not invite the royal families and the Ivashkov family alone has 400 people. It's bound to be a circus." I nod my head and put a piece of donut into my mouth. After I swallow the piece of donut, I ask "So who all are you going to put on your bridal party?" Lissa thinks for moment, "Well I was going have you as my maid of honor along with Jill, Mia, Sydney, Viktoria, and Camille." I nod my head.

A noise pulls us out of our wedding planning. Adrian pops his head into the kitchen. "Are you guys done gossiping? Everyone else wants to continue reading." Lissa nods her head, "We'll be out in a moment." Adrian disappears back around the corner. I groan and lay my head down on the kitchen counter. Lissa cocks her head to the side, "Why are you so reluctant to read the book?" I lift my head and stare at her as if she had grown two heads. "Would you be excited to have everyone reading your inner most personal thoughts." Lissa contemplates for a moment, "I guess not." I roll my eyes."Yes, well, because of these books everyone will have first hand knowledge into my thoughts, and let me tell you I'm pretty sure that some people are going to die by the ends of these books." Lissa rolls her eyes at me and gestures her head toward the doorway. I let out a huge sigh and stand, following her back out into the living room.

Everyone else is sitting on the couches talking to one another casually. I take the open spot next Dimitri and place my head on his shoulder. His arm draps across the back of my shoulders. I lean in next to his ear and whisper, "You know if the book includes everything that I think it does, it'll include the lust charm scene." Dimitri swallows with a loud gulp. I chuckle lightly, "It was good knowing you." Dimitri shakes his head, and Lissa clears her throat. "I have a question that I want to ask some of you. Jill, Mia, Sydney, Viktoria, will you guys be apart of my bridal party?" The girls in question squeal and leap up from their spots, rushing over to give her a hug.

After a moment, Mia finally speaks, "Oh My God yes, what color are you going to make the bridesmaids' gowns?" Lissa smiles, "I was thinking that emerald-green would be really pretty along with a sapphire blue dress for the maid of honor, and I want to thank you all for agreeing to be my bridesmaids." The girls nod their heads vigorously. "Of course we would agree, not only are you our friend, but it's not everyday that you're asked to be in a royal wedding," says Jill.

I shake my head, and confusion spread across Viktoria's face. "So who's going to be your maid of honor?" Jill giggles a little before saying, "You didn't ask Rose to be a bridesmaid, so my money's on her." Lissa looks over at me and smiles fondly, "Yeah, I already asked her to be my maid of honor, and, of course, she said yes." Mia places her hands on her hips in a mock fierceness, "Wait a second, you mean Rose gets to wear a different color dress than us peasant girls." I, once again, roll my eyes. "Yes, yes I do and that, my friend is the way it should be."

Suddenly Eddie speaks, "I have just one question, why is everyone assuming that Rose is a maiden?" My eyes widen and my mouth pops open. _I cannot believe he just said that_. A look of horror crosses Mia's face right before she smacks his chest with a closed fist. "I know my boyfriend did not just say that about Rose, and after everything she's done for us too." I try to fight back the tears that threaten to fall. "Rose knows I was just joking, right? . . . Rose?" Eddie looks over at me. I quickly bury my face in Dimitri's chest so that they wouldn't see the tears getting ready to fall. I hear some rustling movement, but I refuse to look up. A hand brush across my cheek. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was only trying to make a joke, a very poor one, but a joke none-the-less. Will you forgive me?" I look at Eddie and nod my head. Eddie hugs me lightly and the cruel joke is all but forgotten.

"Maybe we should start reading again or we're going to be in here forever, and I, personally, would love to get out of her as quickly as I can," says Adrian, attempting to lighten the mood. I quickly pick it up and add, "So who want to read chapter three?" The room is quiet for a moment before a voice rings out, "I will." I turn my head to look at Yeva and shrug my shoulders. "Okay." I grab the book off of the coffee table and pass it to Yeva, who then flips to chapter three.


	5. Chapter 4

**I managed to get this chapter done pretty fast, so I decided to post it.**

**More reviews equal faster updates. If I get five reviews, I'll post a chapter up the next day.**

**I used Google translate for the translations. If they are incorrect I am sorry. I also put the English version in bold letters.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, and no profit is being made off of this story**

**As always, please read and review (pretty please with a cherry on top)**

* * *

**_Dimitri's POV_**

**Chapter 3**

**SENDING US STRAIGHT TO CLASS after our meeting seemed beyond cruel, but that's exactly what Kirova did. Lissa was led away, and I watched her go, glad the bond would allow me to keep reading her emotional temperature.**

** They actually sent me to one of the guidance counselors first. He was an ancient Moroi guy, one I remembered from before I'd left. I honestly couldn't believe he was still around. The guy was so freaking old, he should have retired. Or died.**

"Rose, that was not a nice thing to say," said Rose's mother, Janine.

I could practically feel Rose roll her eyes. "It's not like I was actually wishing him death, I was just thinking that he's really old."

My grandmother sighs at the interruption and continues on.

** The visit took all of five minutes. He said nothing about my return and asked a few questions about what classes I'd taken in Chicago and Portland. He compared those against my old file and hastily scrawled out a new schedule. I took it sullenly and headed out to my first class.**

**_1_****_st_****_ Period Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques_**

**_ 2_****_nd_****_ Period Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection 3_**

**_ 3_****_rd_****_ Period Weight Training and Conditioning_**

**_ 4_****_th_****_ Period Senior Language Arts (Novices)_**

**_ -Lunch-_**

**_ 5_****_th_****_ Period Animal Behavior and Physiology_**

**_ 6_****_th_****_ Period Precalculus_**

**_ 7_****_th_****_ Period Moroi Culture 4_**

**_ 8_****_th_****_ Period Slavic Art_**

** Ugh. I'd forgotten how long the Academy's school day was. Novices and Moroi took separate classes during the first half of the day, which meant I wouldn't see Lissa until after lunch‒if we had any afternoon classes together. Most of them were standard senior classes, so I felt my odds were pretty good. Slavic art struck me as the kind of elective no one signed up for, so hopefully they'd stuck her in there too.**

"I completely agree," said Eddie, "junior year I didn't get my elective class preferences in fast enough and I ended up in that class. The only good thing I can say for that class was that I got some of the best naps I have ever had in my life."

** Dimitri and Alberta escorted me to the guardians' gym for first period, neither one acknowledging my existence. Walking behind them, I saw how Alberta wore her hair in a short pixie cut that showed her promise mark and ****_molijna_**** marks. A lot of female guardians did this.**

Everyone turned to look at Janine and Alberta. It was true that many of the female guardians did cut their hair super short, but I was extremely glad that my Roza hadn't done so. I loved running my fingers through her soft, wavy hair.

I looked over at my mother and she was staring at me, a knowing smile gracing her lips. I had talked to her earlier, during the breakfast break, about asking Roza to marry me. She had patted me on the cheek and said she had been waiting for me to ask her about that. "Я очень рад, что вы нашли свою вторую половинку. Вы прошли через так много, и вы заслуживаете того, кто любит тебя ни на что. Она, что женщина, за что я бесконечно благодарен ей." **(I am very glad you have found your soul mate. You have been through so much and you deserve someone who loves you no matter what. She's that woman, and for that, I am forever grateful to her.)** I shake my head. "Иногда мама, я не понимаю, почему она любит меня. Я сделал так много ужасных вещей к ней, что я не уверен, что я мог простить себе, но каким-то образом ей удается найти его в своем сердце, чтобы простить меня и любит меня. Я знаю, что я не заслуживаю ее, но я очень рад, что она любит меня в любом случае." **(Sometimes Mama, I don't understand why she loves me. I had done so many awful things to her, things I'm not sure I could ever forgive myself for, but somehow she manages to find it in her heart to forgive me and love me. I know that I don't deserve her, but I am very glad that she loves me anyway.)** My mother wiped away a tear that I hadn't realized fell. "Вы, мой сын, удивительный человек, и я горжусь тем, что позвонить вам моего сына. Я могу дать вам несколько советов маме?" **(You, my son, are an amazing human, and I am proud to call you my son. Can I give you some mom advice?)** I nodded my head yes. "Вы оба прошли через так много, и я знаю, что вы оба будете сделать это через все остальное. Так что не сомневайтесь еще на один момент, что вы двое не предназначены друг для друга, и когда вы предлагаете ей просто говорить от сердца. Вы не можете пойти не так, ладно?" **(You two have been through so much, and I ****_know_**** that you two will make it through everything else. So don't doubt for one more moment that you two aren't meant for each other, and when you propose to her just speak from your heart. You can't go wrong, okay?)** I nod my head again. "Спасибо маме." **(Thank you Mama.)**

Yeva looks over at me, silently asking me if I was alright.

I slightly nod my head.

**It didn't matter so much for me now, since my neck had no tattoos yet, but I didn't want to ever cut my hair.**

** She and Dimitri didn't say anything and walked along almost like it was any other day. When we arrived, the reactions of my peers indicated it was anything but. They were in the middle of setting up when we entered the gym, and just like in the commons, all eyes fell on me. I couldn't decide if I felt like a rock star or a circus freak.**

** All right, then. If I was going to be stuck here for a while, I wasn't going to act afraid of them all anymore. Lissa and I had once held this school's respect, and it was time to remind everyone of that. Scanning the staring, openmouthed novices, I looked for a familiar face. Most of them were guys. One caught my eye, and I could barely hold back my grin.**

** "Hey, Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time."**

** A few snorts and snickers broke the awed silence, and Mason Ashford snapped out of his haze, giving me a lopsided smile. With red hair that stuck up everywhere and a smattering of freckles, he was nice-looking, though not exactly hot. He was also one of the funniest guys I knew. We'd been good friends back in the day.**

** "This ****_is_**** my time, Hathaway. I'm leading today's session."**

** "Oh yeah?" I retorted. "Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to think about me naked, then."**

** "It's ****_always_**** a good time to think about you naked," added someone nearby, breaking the tension further. Eddie Castile. Another friend of mine.**

Rose's father looks at Eddie with a deathly glare. "I hope, for your sake, that you weren't really thinking of my daughter naked. Because if you were, and I find out, you will be wiped off the face of the earth."

Rose does a facepalm, "old man, you can't go around threatening to wipe people off the face of the earth, especially my friends. Understand?"

Abe rolls his eyes, and lets out a huge huff.

** Dimitri shook his head and walked off, muttering something in Russian that didn't sound complimentary. **

Rose turns to look at me. "I really want to know what you said about me."

I lean over and whisper in her ear. "If I tell you now, then I will have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you into the bedroom and have my wicked way with you, interrupting this very important reading."

Rose lets out a little giggle as a deep rose-colored blush spreads across her cheeks.

The room is silent and I look away from Rose and at everyone else. Lissa has a huge smirk on her face. "What?"

"There is only one thing that makes Rose blush like that, and I know exactly what it is. For your sake I won't tell anyone else why she's blushing like that, but you owe me one and I will be sure to cash that in soon. I promise you that."

I fake a shudder, making both Rose and Lissa laugh.

**But as for me . . . well, just like that, I was one of the novices again. They were an easygoing bunch, less focused on pedigree and politics than the Moroi students.**

** The class engulfed me, and I found myself laughing and seeing those I'd nearly forgotten about. Everyone wanted to know where we'd been; apparently Lissa and I had become legends. I couldn't tell them why we'd left, of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts and wouldn't-you-like-to-knows that served just as well.**

** The happy reunion lasted a few more minutes before the adult guardian who oversaw the training came over and scolded Mason for neglecting his duties. Still grinning, he barked out orders to everyone, explaining what exercises to start with. Uneasily, I realized I didn't know most of them.**

** "Come on, Hathaway," he said, taking my arm. "You can be my partner. Let's see what you've been doing all this time."**

** An hour later, he had his answer.**

** "Not practicing, huh?"**

** "Ow," I groaned, momentarily incapable of normal speech.**

"That was very amusing, watching you have your ass handed to you," Said Eddie.

Rose glares at Eddie. "Keep it up and I'll be handing you your ass."

Mom suddenly clears her throat. "Could we please keep the cussing to a minimum. We do have children in here."

Everyone looks at Paul, and a scowl crosses his face. "I'm thirteen years old. That is hardly a child."

Olena shakes her head at Paul, and motions for Yeva to continue.

** He extended a hand and helped me up from the mat he'd knocked me down on‒about fifty times.**

** "I hate you," I told him, rubbing a spot on my thigh that was going to have a wicked bruise tomorrow.**

** "You'd hate me more if I held back."**

** "Yeah, that's true," I agreed, staggering along as the class put the equipment back.**

** "You actually did okay."**

** "What? I just had my ass handed to me."**

** "Well, of course you did. It's been two years. But hey, you're still walking. That's something." He grinned mockingly.**

** "Did I mention I hate you?"**

** He flashed me another smile, which quickly faded to something more serious. "Don't take this the wrong way . . . I mean, you really are a scrapper, but there's no way you'll be able to take your trials in the spring-"**

** "They're making me take extra practice sessions," I explained. Not that it mattered. I planned on getting Lissa and me out of here before these practices really became an issue.**

** "I'll be ready."**

** "Extra sessions with who?"**

** "That tall guy. Dimitri."**

** Mason stopped walking and stared at me. "You're putting in extra time with Belikov?"**

** "Yeah, so what?"**

** "So, the man is a ****_god_****."**

I groan and look at Rose, "so that's where you got that. I remember the first time I heard yo say that about me. I was shocked that anyone would call me a god, let alone you, a goddess in her own right."

Sonya B. was looking at me like I had grown two heads. "What?" She stares at me for a moment longer. "I'm just trying to figure out how anyone could think you're a god. My only conclusion is that they're delusional."

"Hmph," my pride slightly wounded.

Rose leans in and whispers, "you're my god and no one can tell you otherwise."

Yeva clears her throat, "may I start again?"

I nod my head.

** "Exaggerate much?" I asked.**

** "No, I'm serious. I mean, he's all quiet and antisocial usually, but when he fights . . . wow. If you think you're hurting now, you're going to be dead when he's done with you."**

** Great. Something else to improve my day.**

** I elbowed him and went on to second period. That class covered the essentials of being a bodyguard and was required for all seniors. Actually, it was the third in a series that had started junior year. That meant I was behind in this class too, but I hoped protecting Lissa in the real world had given me some insight.**

** Our instructor was Stan Alto, whom we referred to simply as "Stan" behind his back and "Guardian Alto" in formal settings. He was a littler older than Dimitri, but not nearly as tall, and he always looked pissed off. Today, that look intensified when he walked into the classroom and saw me sitting there. His eyes widened in mock surprise as he circled the room and came to stand beside my desk.**

"I still really hate that man. He was the bane of my existence during my school career. Though I must say, I do feel vindicated."

Adrian chuckles a little, "and why would that be, little dhampir?"

"He once told me that I would never make it as a guardian, let alone a guardian for a royal princess. And look at me now, not only am I a guardian for the _Queen_, I'm her main guardian." A very smug look settled on her face.

I chuckle and shake my head. "Only you would feel the need to rub it in his face."

** "What's this?" No one told me we had a guest speaker here today. Rose Hathaway. What a privilege! How very ****_generous_**** of you to take time out of your busy schedule and share your knowledge with us."**

** I felt my cheeks burning, but in a great show of self-control, I stopped myself from telling him to fuck off. I'm pretty sure my face must have delivered that message, however, because his sneer increased. He gestured for me to stand up.**

** "Well, come on, come on. Don't sit there! Come up to the front so you can help me lecture the class."**

** I sank into my seat. "You don't really mean-"**

** The taunting smile dried up. "I mean ****_exactly_**** what I say, Hathaway. Go to the front of the class."**

** A thick silence enveloped the room. Stan was a scary instructor, and most of the class was too awed to laugh at my disgrace quite yet. Refusing to crack, I strode up to the front of the room and turned to face the class. I gave them a bold look and tossed my hair over my shoulders, earning a few sympathetic smiles from my friends. I then noticed I had a larger audience than expected. A few guardians‒including Dimitri‒lingered in the back of the room. Outside the Academy, guardians focused on one-on-one protection. Here, guardians had a lot more people to protect ****_and_**** they had to train the novices. So rather than follow any one person around, they worked shifts guarding the school as a whole and monitoring classes.**

** "So, Hathaway," said Stan cheerfully, strolling back up to the front with me. "Enlighten us about your protective techniques."**

** "My . . . techniques?"**

** "Of course. Because presumably you must have had some sort of plan the rest of us couldn't understand when you took an underage Moroi royal out of the Academy and exposed her to constant Strigoi threats."**

** It was the Kirova lecture all over again, except with more witnesses.**

** "We never ran into any Strigoi," I replied stiffly.**

**"Obviously," he said with a snicker. "I already figured that out, seeing as how you're still alive."**

** I wanted to shout that maybe I could have defeated a Strigoi, but after getting beat up in the last class, I now suspected I couldn't have survived an attack by Mason, let alone an actual Strigoi.**

** When I didn't say anything, Stan started pacing in front of the class.**

** "So what'd you do? How'd you make sure she stayed safe? Did you avoid going out at night?"**

** "Sometimes." That was true ‒ especially when we'd firstb run away. We'd relaxed a little after months went by with no attacks.**

** "****_Sometimes_****," he repeated in a high-pitched voice, making my answer sound incredibly stupid. "Well the, I suppose you slept during the day and stayed on guard during the night."**

** "Er . . . no."**

** "No? But that's one of the first things mentioned in the chapter on solo guarding. Oh, wait, you wouldn't know that because ****_you weren't here_****."**

** I swallowed back more swear words. "I watched the area whenever we went out," I said needing to defend myself.**

** "Oh? Well that's something. Did you use Carnegie's Quadrant Surveillance Method or the Rotational Survey?"**

** I didn't say anything.**

** "Ah. I'm guessing you used the Hathaway Galnce-Around-When-You-Remember-To Method."**

** "No!" I exclaimed angrily. "That's not true. I watched her. She's still alive, isn't she?"**

** He walked back up to me and leaned toward my face. "Because you got ****_lucky_****."**

** "Strigoi aren't lurking around every corner out there," I shot back. "It's not like what we've been taught. It's safer than you guys make it sound."**

** "Safer? ****_Safer?_**** We are at war with the Strigoi!" he yelled. I could smell the coffee on his breath, he was so close. "One of them could walk right up to you and snap your pretty little neck before you even noticed him‒and he'd barely break a sweat doing it. You might have more speed and strength than a Moroi or a human, but you are nothing, ****_nothing_****, compared to a Strigoi. They are deadly, and more powerful. And do you know what makes them more powerful?"**

** No way was I going to let this jerk make me cry. Looking away from him, I tried to focus on something else. My eyes rested on Dimitri and other guardians. They were watching my humiliation, stone-faced.**

** "Moroi blood," I whispered.**

** "What was that?" asked Stan loudly. "I didn't catch it."**

** I spun back around to face him. "Moroi blood! Moroi blood makes them stronger."**

** He nodded in satisfaction and took a few steps back. "Yes. It does. It makes them stronger and harder to destroy. They'll kill and drink from a human or dhampir, but they want Moroi blood more than anything else. They seek it. They've turned to the dark side to gain immortality, and they want to do whatever they can to keep that immortality. Desperate Strigoi have attacked Moroi in public. Groups of Strigoi have raided academies exactly like this one. There are Strigoi who have lived for thousands of years and fed off generations of Moroi. They're almost impossible to kill. And ****_that_**** is why Moroi numbers are dropping. They aren't strong enough‒ even with guardians‒ to protect themselves. Some Moroi don't even see the point of running anymore and are simply turning Strigoi by choice. And as the Moroi disappear . . ."**

"For the record, I did think that he was exceptionally harsh on you. When you took her away you did it with her best interest in mind. While you didn't go about it in the best manner, you did manage to keep her alive and healthy. I didn't think you needed the point driven home in that manner. Humiliation has never worked as a tactic, so why he felt the need to humiliate you I don't know, and I am sorry that he did that. It was hard to watch." I told Rose.

I was awarded a very sweet, innocent smile. "He's always hated me. That's not your fault."

** ". . . so do the dhampirs," I finished.**

** "Well," he said, licking sprayed spit off of his lips. "It looks like you learned something after all. Now we'll have to see if you can learn enough to pass this class and qualify for your field experience next semester."**

** Ouch. I spent the rest of that horrible class‒in my seat, thankfully‒replaying those last words in my mind. The senior-year field experience was the best part of a novice's education. We'd have no classes for half a semester. Instead, we'd each be assigned a Moroi student to guard and follow around. The adult guardians would monitor us and test us with staged attacks and other threats. How a novice passed that field experience was almost as important as all the rest of her grades combined. It could influence which Moroi she got assigned to afer graduation.**

** And me? There was only one Moroi I wanted.**

** Two classes later, I finally earned my lunch escape. As I stumbled across campus toward the commons, Dimitri fell into step beside me, not looking particularly godlike‒unless you count his godly good looks.**

** "I suppose you saw what happened in Stan's class?" I asked, not bothering with titles.**

** "Yes."**

** "And you don't think that was unfair?"**

** "Was he right? Do you think you were fully prepared to protect Vasilisa?"**

** I looked down at the ground. "I kept her alive," I mumbled.**

** "How did you do fighting against your classmates today?"**

** The question was mean. I didn't answer and knew I didn't need to. I'd had another training class after Stan's, and no doubt Dimitri had watched me get beat up there too.**

** "If you can't fight ****_them_****‒"**

** "Yeah, yeah, I know," I snapped.**

** He slowed his long stride to match my pain-filled one. "You're strong and fast by nature. You just need to keep yourself trained. Didn't you play any sports while you were gone?"**

** "Sure," I shrugged. "Now and then."**

** "You didn't join any teams?"**

** "Too much work. If I'd wanted to practice that much, I'd have stayed here."**

** He gave me an exasperated look. "You'll never be able to really protect the princess if you don't hone your skills. You'll always be lacking."**

** "I'll be able to protect her," I said fiercely.**

** "You have no guarantees of being assigned to her, you know‒for your field experience ****_or_**** after you graduate." Dimitri's voice was low and unapologetic. They hadn't given me a warm and fuzzy mentor. "No one wants to waste the bond‒but no one's going to give her an inadequate guardian either. If you want to be with her, then you need to work for it. You have your lessons. You have me. Use us or don't. **

"Now that just sounds kinky," said Adrian, attempting to break the tension.

A loud, unanimous groan filled the room, and Sydney lightly slapped his arm. "I cannot believe you just said that. Actually I can believe it, I just wish you hadn't said it."

**You're an ideal choice to guard Vasilisa when you both graduate‒if you can prove you're worthy. I hope you will."**

** "Lissa, call her Lissa," I corrected. She hated her full name, much preferring the Americanized nickname.**

** He walked away, and suddenly, I didn't feel like such a badass anymore.**

** By now, I'd burned up a lot of time leaving class. Most everyone else had long since sprinted inside the commons for lunch, eager to maximize their social time. I'd almost made it back there myself when a voice under the door's overhang called to me.**

** "Rose?"**

** Peering in the voice's direction, I caught sight of Victor Dashkov, his kind face smiling at me as he leaned on a cane near the building's wall. His two guardians stood nearby at a polite distance.**

Rose and Lissa both visibly tense. Christian hugs Lissa closer to him, mimicking my actions. My sister, Karolina picked up on the tension and decided to leave all tact behind. "What did this Victor person do?" I resisted the urge to do a facepalm. Before I could speak, Rose opened her mouth. "It doesn't matter, I'm sure it will all be explained in the book." The ice-cold exterior she had pulled up, I knew only covered the pain, surprised Karolina and my family, all but Yeva anyway. I quickly motioned for her to continue reading.

** "Mr. Dash-er, Your Highness. Hi."**

** I caught myself just in time, having nearly forgotten Moroi royal terms. I hadn't used them while living among humans. The Moroi chose their rulers from among twelve royal families. The eldest in the family got the title of "prince" or "princess." Lissa had gotten hers because she was the only one left in her line.**

** "How was your first day?"**

** "Not over yet." I tried to think of something conversational. "Are you visiting here for a while?"**

** "I'll be leaving this afternoon after I say hello to Natalie. When I heard Vasilisa‒and you‒had returned, I simply had to come see you."**

** I nodded, not sure what else to say. He was more Lissa's friend than mine.**

A trembling voice suddenly fills the room, "I had never felt more betrayed. He was my father's best friend, and, for all intent and purposes, my uncle. I don't know if I can ever forgive him for doing what he did."

Rose stood and walked over to Lissa, pulling her into a deep hug. Christian shifted to the right, making room for Rose to sit next to Lissa. Once Rose is sitting, Lissa moves so that her head is resting Rose's lap. Rose strokes Lissa's hair in a light rhythmic pattern.

** "I wanted to tell you . . ." He spoke hesitantly. "I understand the gravity of what you did, but I think Headmistress Kirova failed to acknowledge something. You ****_did_**** keep her Vasilisa safe all this time. That is impressive."**

** "Well, it's not like I faced down Strigoi or anything," I said.**

** "But you faced down some things?"**

** "Sure. The school sent psi-hounds once."**

** "Remarkable."**

** "Not reall. Avoiding them was pretty easy."**

** He laughed. "I've hunted with them before. They aren't ****_that_**** easy to evade, not with their powers and intelligence." It was true. Psi-hounds were one of many types of magical creatures that wandered the world, creatures that humans never knew about or else didn't believe they'd really seen. The hounds traveled in packs and shared a sort of psychic communication that made them particularly deadly to their prey‒as did the fact that they resembled mutant wolves. "Did you face anything else?"**

** I shrugged. "Little things here and there."**

** "Remarkable," he repeated.**

** "Lucky, I think. Turns out I'm really behind in all this guardian stuff." I sounded just like Stan now.**

** I looked away. My ability to "feel" Lissa had been such a secret fo so long, it felt weird to have others know about it.**

** "The histories are full of stories of guardians who could feel when their charges were in danger," Victor continued. "I've made a hobby of studying up on it and some of the ancient ways. I've heard it's a tremendous asset."**

** "I guess." I shrugged. ****_What a boring hobby_****, I thought, imagining him poring over prehistoric histories in some dank library covered in spiderwebs.**

My sister, Viktoria, starts to laugh. "I love your idea of a library. I have never actually been in a library like that."

Rose lets out a deep sigh. "I know, but thinking about all of those old books I sort of just conjure up that image."

** Victor tilted his head, curiosity all over his face. Kirova and the others had had the same look when we'd mentioned our connection, like we were lab rats. "What is it like‒if you don't mind me asking?"**

** "It's . . . I don't know. I just sort of always have this hum of how she feels. Usually it's just emotions. We can't send messages or anything." I didn't tell him about slipping into her head. That part of it was hard even for me to understand.**

** "But it doesn't work the other way? She doesn't sense you?"**

** I shook my head.**

** His face shone with wonder. "How did it happen?"**

** "I don't know," I said, still glancing away. "Just started two years ago."**

** He frowned. "Near the time of the accident?"**

** Hesitantly, I nodded. The accident was ****_not_**** something I wanted to talk about, that was for sure. Lissa's memories were bad enough without my own mixing into them. Twisted metal. A sensation of hot, then cold, then hot again. Lissa screaming over me, screaming for me to wake up, screaming for her parents and her brother to wake up. None of them had, only me. And doctors said that was a miracle in itself. They said I shouldn't have survived.**

** Apparently sensing my discomfort, Victor let the moment go and returned to his other excitement.**

** "I can still barely believe this. It's been so long since this has happened. If it did happen more often . . . just think what it could do for the safety of all Moroi. If only others could experience this too. I'll have to do more research and see if we can replicate it with others."**

"That man is far too interested in how your bond works and what its limitations are," said Abe.

Rose looks at Abe, "you have no idea how close to the truth you are."

** "Yeah." I was getting impatient, despite how much I liked him. Natalie rambled a lot, and it was pretty clear which parent she'd inherited ****_that_**** quality from. Lunch was ticking down, and although Moroi and novices shared afternoon classes, Lissa and I wouldn't have much time to talk.**

** "Perhaps we could-" He started coughing, a great, seizing fit that made his whole body shake. His disease, Sandovsky's Syndrome, took the lungs down with it while dragging the body toward death. I cast an anxious look at his guardians, and one of them stepped forward. "Your Highness," he said politely, "you need to go inside. It's too cold out here."**

** Victor nodded. "Yes, yes. And I'm sure Rose here wants to eat." He turned to me. "Thank you for speaking to me. I can't emphasize how much it means to me that Vasilisa is safe‒and that you helped with that. I'd promised her father I'd look after her if anything happened to him, and I felt like quite the failure when you left."**

** A sinking sensation filled my stomach as I imagined him wracked with guilt and worry over our disappearance. Until now, I hadn't really thought about how others might have felt about us leaving.**

"We really missed you two. Mason was devastated when you left. It was like his heart had been ripped out and stomped on," said Eddie, looking very close to tears.

I felt Rose's shoulders sag further down, as though the world's weight had become too much to bear. I pull her closer to me. She lies her head on my shoulder, and I motion for Yeva to continue.

** We made our goodbyes, and I finally arrived inside the school. As I did, I felt Lissa's anxiety spike. Ignoring the pain in my legs, I picked up my pace into the commons.**

** And nearly ran right into her.**

** She didn't see me, though. Neither did the people standing with her: Aaron and that little doll girl. I stopped and listened, just catching the end of the conversation. The girl leaned toward Lissa, who seemed more stunned than anything else.**

** "It looks to ****_me_**** like it came from a garage sale. I thought a precious Dragomir would have standards." Scorn dripped off the word ****_Dragomir_****.**

** Grabbing Doll Girl by the shoulder, I jerked her away. She was so light, she stumbled three feet and nearly fell.**

** "She does have standards," I said, "which is why you're done talking to her."**

Yeva silently places the bookmark inside the book. "Who would like to read next?" Christian raises his hand. "I'll read."


	6. Chapter 5

**I wanted to thank the four people who reviewed.**

**I really, really want to reach at least fifty reviews by the end of this book. So, please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and no profit is being made off of this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**_Lissa's POV_**

**WE DIDN'T HAVE THE ENTIRE common's attention this time, thank God, but a few passing people had stopped to stare.**

** "What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Doll Girl, blue eyes wide and sparkling with fury. Up close now, I was able to get a better look at her. She had the same slim build as most Moroi but not the usual height, which was partly what made her look so young. The tiny purple dress she wore was gorgeous‒reminding me that I was indeed dressed in thrift-shop wear‒but closer inspection led me to think it was a designer knockoff.**

** I crossed my arms across my chest. "Are you lost, little girl? The elementary school's over on west campus."**

** A pink flush spread over her cheeks. "Don't you ever touch me again. You screw with me, and I'll screw you right back."**

Several people tried, desperately, to hold back their laughter.

"Hey, in my defense that sounded much better in my head," said Mia, trying to retain what little dignity she had left. "It's not my fault that you all took it there."

Eddie taps Mia on the shoulder, "Sweetie, you should stop while you're ahead. This is in the past and it doesn't matter what happened, it only matters that you are not the same person you were."

_They really did make a cute couple_, I thought, hoping that they would make it past all of the crap. It didn't matter that they were an odd couple by many people's standards, it only mattered that they made each other happy because they both deserved happiness. The sound of Alberta's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and back into reality.

** Oh man, what an opening that was. Only a head shake from Lissa stopped me from unleashing any number of hilarious comebacks. Instead, I opted for simple brute force, so to speak.**

** "And if you mess with either of us again, I'll break you in half. If you don't believe me, go ask Dawn Yarrow about I did to her arm in ninth grade. You were probably at nap time when it happened." **

Rose's mother, Janine, turns to ask Rose a question. "What exactly happened with this Dawn girl?"

Rose lets out a small sigh. "Dawn was being a bitch. Lissa had accidentally insulted her capabilities as a guardian, and she felt that the appropriate response was to tell Lissa that no one wanted her around and she should go die in a hole. I felt the need to protect Lissa, so I pushed Dawn into the tree. I was only trying to get Dawn out of Lissa's face; I didn't mean to break anything."

Abe, Rose's long lost father, busted out laughing. "Janine was right, she is like me. I no longer doubt Janine when she talks about the stack of office referrals."

"Hey," Rose said, annoyance written all over her face. "I am not that bad. Sure I made bad decisions, and I know, now, that I'd been taking the darkness from Lissa."

"No, no you're not that bad," agreed Eddie. "It just takes people a little while to adjust to your brash manner."

Rose blinks several times before answering, "Was that supposed to be a compliment? I feel more insulted than complimented."

Christian clears his throat. "May I continue?"

I smile and shake my head at him, "No."

He shrugs his shoulders and places the bookmark inside. "If you say so . . . my Queen."

"I hate being called Queen, and I was only joking. If we don't continue on with the reading, then we'll be stuck here until we're old, you know like Dimitri," I said

"Hey! That's not very nice of you and just so you know, I am not that old. I'm not even in my thirties," said an outraged Dimitri.

** The incident with Dawn hadn't been one of my finer moments.**

"You know, not to repeat yourself or anything," added Christian.

Rose opens her mouth to, no doubt, make a snide comment in return, but I shake my head at her, silently asking her not to.

Rose closes her mouth and sends him a death glare, successfully making Christian sink back into the couch.

**I honestly hadn't expected to break any bones when I shoved her into a tree. Still, the incident had given me a dangerous reputation, in addition to my smartass one. The story had gained legendary status, and I liked to imagine it was still being told around campfires late at night. Judging from the look on this girl's face, it was.**

** One of the patrolling staff members strolled by right then, casting suspicious eyes at our little meeting. Doll Girl backed off, taking Aaron's arm. "Come on," she said.**

** "Hey, Aaron," I said cheerfully, remembering he was there. "Nice to see you again."**

** He gave me a quick nod and an uneasy smile, just as the girl dragged him off. Same old Aaron. He might be nice and cute, but aggressive he was not.**

** I turned to Lissa. "You okay?" She nodded. "Any idea who I just threatened to beat up?"**

Janine shakes her head at Rose. "If you're going to threaten to beat up someone at least know their name."

"She doesn't need to know their name," said Abe. "I don't know the name of every person I have ever beat up, and trust me that is a lot of people."

Sometimes it still surprised me that Rose's father was a gangster. I had a hard time believing that Janine fell in love with him, but she had and that love resulted in my best friend Rosemarie Hathaway.

** "Not a clue." I started to lead her toward the lunch line, but she shook her head at me. "Gotta go see the feeders."**

** A funny feeling settled over me. I'd gotten so used to being her primary blood source that the thought of returning to the Moroi's normal routine seemed strange. In fact, it almost bothered me. It shouldn't have. Daily feedings were part of a Moroi's life, something I hadn't been able to offer her while living on our own. It had been an inconvenient situation, one that left me weak on feeding days and her weak on the days in between. I should have been happy she would get some normality.**

A feeling of shame pulses through me. I had been so self-absorbed, only focusing on me and my overwhelming depression.

** I forced a smile. "Sure."**

** We walked into the feeding room, which sat adjacent to the cafeteria. It was set up with small cubicles, dividing the room's space in an effort to offer privacy. A dark-haired Moroi woman greeted us at the entrance and glanced down at her clipboard, flipping through the pages. Finding what she needed, she made a few notes and gestured for Lissa to follow. Me she gave a puzzled look, but she didn't stop me from entering.**

** She led us to one of the cubicles where a plump, middle-aged woman sat leafing through a magazine. She looked up at our approach and smiled. In her eyes, I could see the dreamy, glazed-over look most feeders had. She'd probably neared her quota for the day, judging from how high she appeared to be.**

** Recognizing Lissa, her smile grew. "Welcome back, Princess."**

** The greeter left us, and Lissa sat down in the chair beside the woman. I sensed a feeling of discomfort in her, a little different from my own. This was weird for her too; it had been a long time. The feeder, however, had no such reservations. An eager look crossed her face‒the look of a junkie about to get her next fix.**

** Disgust poured into me. It was an old instinct, one that had been drilled in over the years. Feeders were essential to Moroi life. They were humans who willingly volunteered to be a regular blood source, humans from the fringes of society who gave their lives over to the secret world of the Moroi. They were well cared for and given all comforts they could need. But at the heart of it, they were drug users, addicts to Moroi saliva and the rush it offered with each bite. The Moroi‒and guardians‒looked down on this dependency, even though the Moroi couldn't have survived otherwise unless they took victims by force. Hypocrisy at its finest.**

I sat back, stunned. I had never thought about it that way. I've only ever looked at them as food sources and drug addicts, the lowest of society.

"I had never thought of it that way," said Adrian, voicing my thoughts. "It really is hypocrisy at its finest. We treat them as the scum of the earth, yet we wouldn't survive without them."

We sit in silence for a moment more before Christian starts reading again.

** The feeder tilted her head, giving Lissa full access to her neck. Her skin there was marked with scars from years of daily bites. The infrequent feedings Lissa and I had done had kept my neck clear; my bite marks never lasted more than a day or so.**

I look over at Rose's parents. Both have a pained expression on their faces. I guess the thought of their daughter giving blood to her friend was highly unpleasant.

Suddenly Dimitri's sister, Karolina, speaks. "I find it very admirable that you would provide for your best friend, your sister. I would do anything for my sisters, and my brother, and you did what you had to do for her. I have no choice but to respect that."

I smile, thankful that someone had decided to speak up.

** Lissa leaned forward, fangs biting into the feeder's yielding flesh. The woman closed her eyes, making a soft sound of pleasure. I swallowed, watching Lissa drink. I couldn't see any blood, but I could imagine it. A surge of emotion grew in my chest: longing. Jealousy. I averted my eyes, staring at the floor. Mentally, I scolded myself.**

**_What's wrong with you? Why should you miss it? You only did it once every day. You aren't addicted, not like this. And you don't want to be._**

I roll my eyes. "That feeling is not going to just go away because you say it needs to, Rose." I say in a reprimanding tone.

A soft, rose-colored blush spreads across her cheeks. "I know, but it should have. I didn't want to admit that I might be addicted to it, and I know now that it wasn't something to be ashamed of but at the time I felt like everyone was judging me without allowing me to explain the situation."

I offer Rose a smile, and motion for Christian to continue reading.

** But I couldn't help myself, couldn't help the way I felt as I recalled the bliss and rush of a vampire's bite.**

** Lissa finished and we returned to the commons, moving toward the lunch line, and I strolled up and began to load my plate with french fries and some rounded, bite-size objects that looked vaguely like chicken nuggets. Lissa only grabbed a yogurt. Moroi needed food, as dhampirs and humans did, but rarely had an appetite after drinking blood.**

** "So how'd classes go?" I asked.**

** She shrugged. Her face was bright with color and life now. "Okay. Lots of stares. A ****_lot_**** of stares. Lots of questions about where we were. Whispering."**

** "Same here," I said. The attendant checked us out, and we walked toward the tables. I gave Lissa a sidelong glance. "You okay with that? They aren't bothering you, are they?"**

** "No‒it's fine." The emotions coming through the bond contradicted her words. **

"I still don't understand why you tried to lie to me Lissa. You knew that I could feel what you were feeling and yet you tried to lie to me," said Rose, giving me a scolding look.

I let out a small sigh. "I know but I was still entitled to my privacy."

**Knowing I could feel that, she tried to change the subject by handing me her class schedule. I looked it over.**

**_1_****_st_****_ Period Russian 2_**

**_ 2_****_nd_****_ Period American Colonial Literature_**

**_ 3_****_rd_****_ Period Basics of Elemental Control_**

**_ 4_****_th_****_ Period Ancient Poetry_**

**_ -Lunch-_**

**_ 5_****_th_****_ Period Animal Behavior and Psychology_**

**_ 6_****_th_****_ Period Advanced Calculus_**

**_ 7_****_th_****_ Period Moroi Culture 4_**

**_ 8_****_th_****_ Period Slavic Art_**

** "Nerd," I said. "If you were in Stupid Math like me, we'd have the same afternoon schedule." I stopped walking. "Why are you in elemental basics? That's a sophomore class."**

"I must say, Rose, that was a facepalm moment," said an amused Viktoria. "You should have known better than that."

"I know, I know, but I wasn't thinking," said Rose, trying not to let her annoyance show.

"When does Rose use her brain for thinking," Eddie commented in a teasing manner.

"Ha, ha, ha, it must be make-fun-of-Rose day. Apparently I didn't get that memo."

I think it's time to continue reading. You know, before Rose blows up and ends up killing you all," I add, pointedly staring at everyone and praying they got the message.

** She eyed me. "Because seniors take specialized classes."**

** We fell silent at that. All Moroi wielded elemental magic. It was one of the things that differential living vampires from Strigoi, the dead vampires. Moroi viewed magic as a gift. It was apart of their souls and connected them to the world.**

** A long time ago, they had used their magic openly, averting natural disasters and helping with things like food and water production. They didn't need to do that as much anymore, but the magic was still in their blood. It burned in them and made them want to reach out to the earth and wield their power. Academies like this existed to help Moroi control the magic and learn how to do increasingly complex things it. Students also had to learn the rules that surrounded magic, rules that had been in place for centuries and were strictly enforced.**

** All Moroi had a small ability in each element. When they got to be around our age, students, "specialized" when one element grew stronger than the others: earth, water, fire, or air. Not specializing was like not going through puberty.**

"Except, now we know that there's a fifth element. An element that was long forgotten, but never gone." Adrian says, boasting. "An element in which I had the pleasure of specializing in, of course it will eventually drive me insane, but that's beside the point."

We're all chuckling by the end of his little speech. "I think you should have stopped at the never gone part. You would have sounded much more poetic," says Sydney. "Of course, your habit of adding too much information is quite cute, even if it does make you sound like a goof ball."

** And Lissa . . . well, Lissa hadn't specialized yet.**

** "Is Ms. Carmack still teaching that? What she'd say?"**

** "She says she's not worried. She thinks it'll come."**

** "Did you‒did you tell her about‒"**

** Lissa shook her head. "No. Of course not."**

** We let the subject drop. It was one we thought about a lot but rarely spoke of.**

** We started moving again, scanning the tables as we decided where to sit. A few pairs of eyes looked up at us with blatant curiosity.**

** "Lissa!" came a nearby voice. Glancing over, we saw Natalie waving at us. Lissa and I exchanged looks. Natalie was sort of Lissa's cousin in the way Victor was sort of her uncle, but we'd never hung out with her all that much.**

"It's hard not to hate her, but all she ever really wanted was to have her father's approval. Her father used that desperation against her and manipulated her into doing the vilest of things in promise of having his full attention and approval. I want so badly to hate her for what she did, but when I think about her the only thing that comes to mind is a pathetic little girl and I can't help but feel sorry for her."

We all stare at Rose.

I was continually amazed at how much she had matured. It had been a year and a half since Rose was nearly killed, and I had never been prouder of her. She had grown into a beautiful, wonderful, mature woman. I'm so very glad that she has Dimitri. Christian's voice once again pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Sometimes I'm still surprised how mature you can be. I mean compared to the Rose in the book it's like two different people. I, personally, like the Rose sitting her with us better."

Rose laughs and says, "oh, I love you too, Sparky, but I'm not hugging you."

"Now that we're done with our girl moment, I think I'm going to continue to read."

** Lissa shrugged and headed in that direction. "Why not?"**

** I followed reluctantly. Natalie was so nice but also one of the most uninteresting people I knew. Most royals at the school enjoyed a kind of celebrity status, but Natalie had never fit in with that crowd. She was too plain, too uninterested in the politics of the Academy, and too clueless to really navigate them anyway.**

** Natalie's friends eyed us with a quiet curiosity, but she didn't hold back. She threw her arms around us. Like Lissa, she had jade-green eyes, but her hair was jet black, like Victor's had been before his disease grayed it.**

** "You're back! I knew you would be! Everyone said you were gone forever, but I never believed that. I knew that you couldn't stay away. Why'd you go? There are so many stories about why you left!" Lissa and I exchanged glances as Natalie prattled on. "Camille said one of you got pregnant and went off to have an abortion, but I knew that couldn't be true. Someone else said you went off to hang out with Rose's mom, but I figured Ms. Kirova and Daddy wouldn't have been so upset if you'd turned up there. Did you know we might get to be roommates? I was talking to . . ."**

** On and on she chatted, flashing her fangs as she spoke. I smiled politely, letting Lissa deal with the onslaught until Natalie asked a dangerous question.**

** "What'd you do for blood, Lissa?"**

** The table regarded us questioningly. Lissa froze, but I immediately jumped in, the lie coming effortlessly to my lips.**

** "Oh, it's easy. There are a lot of humans who want to do it."**

** "Really?" asked one of natalie's friends, wide-eyed.**

** "Yup. You find 'em at parties and stuff. They're all looking for a fix from something, and they don't really get that a vampire's doing it: most are already so wasted they don't remember anyway." My already vague details dried up, so I simply shrugged in as cool and confident a way as I could manage. It wasn't like any of them knew any better. "Like I said, it's easy." Almost easier than with our own feeders."**

Christian pauses, "I know for a fact that it isn't that easy to find blood. When I lived with . . . with Tasha in the human world, I only took blood about twice a week. It was really weird to come to the Academy and be able to have blood available everyday, three times a day."

When no one responded he continued on.

** Natalie accepted this and then launched into some other topic. Lissa shot me a grateful look.**

** Ignoring the conversation again, I took in the old faces, trying to figure out who was hanging out with whom and a group of novices, caught my eye, and I smiled. Near him, a group of Moroi royals sat, laughing over something. Aaron and the blond girl sat there too.**

** Hey, Natalie," I said, turning around and cutting her off. She didn't seem to notice or mind. "Who's Aaron's new girlfriend?"**

** "Huh? Oh. Mia Rinaldi." Seeing my blank look, she asked, "Don't you remember her?"**

** "Should I? Was she here when we left?"**

** "She's always been here," said Natalie. "Maybe she's jealous about Aaron. She wasn't much of anybody when you guys left. She got ****_really_**** popular ****_really_**** fast. She isn't royal or anything, but once she started dating Aaron, she‒"**

** "Okay, thanks," I interrupted. "It doesn't really‒"**

** My eyes lifted from Natalie's face to see Jesse Zeklos's, just as he passed by our table. **

"Sometimes I wish I could have seen how much of a jerk he was, but I was so caught up in doing what I wanted to do that I didn't care who I did it with." Rose said, "I don't understand why a lot of the royals have to be such nasty people, but I'm lucky that I found such a great group of friends."

**Ah, Jesse. I'd forgotten about him. I liked flirting with Mason and some of the other novices, but Jesse was in an entirely different category. You flirted with the other guys simply for the sake of flirting. You flirted with Jesse in the hopes of getting semi-naked with him. He was a royal Moroi, and he was so hot, he should have worn a WARNING FLAMMABLE sign. He met eyes and grinned.**

** "Hey Rose, welcome back. You still breaking hearts?"**

** "Are you volunteering?"**

** His grin widened. "let's hang out sometime and find out. If you ever get parole."**

** He kept walking, and I watched him admiringly. Natalie and her friends stared at me in awe. I might not be a god in the Dimitri sense, but with this group, Lissa and I ****_were_**** gods‒or at least former gods‒of another nature.**

** "Oh my gawd," exclaimed one girl. I didn't remember her name. "That was ****_Jesse_****."**

** "Yes," I said, smiling. "It certainly was."**

** "I wish I looked like you," she added with a sigh.**

** Their eyes fell on me. Technically, I was half-Moroi, but my looks were humans. I'd blended in well with humans during our time away, so much so that I'd barely thought about my appearance at all. Here, among the slim and small-chested Moroi girls, certain features‒meaning my larger breasts and more defined hips‒stood out. I knew I was pretty, but to Moroi buys, my body was more than just pretty: it was sexy in a risqué way. Dhampirs were an exotic conquest, a novelty all Moroi guys wanted to "try."**

** It was ironic that dhampirs had such an allure here, because slender Moroi girls looked very much like the super-skinny runway models so popular in the human world. Most humans could never reach that "ideal" skinniness, just as Moroi girls could never look like me. Everyone wanted what she couldn't have.**

All of the girls nod in agreement. A very quiet Sydney unexpectedly speaks up, "It sucks to always think that I have to look one way, but in reality my body just doesn't look that way."

Adrian pulls her in closer to him and says, "It's a good thing I love the way you look. I don't want this imagined girl that you seem to think you need to look like."

A small smile tugs at her lips. "Sometimes, I kinda love you Adrian Ivashkov."

Now a smile tugs at my lips. I'm happy that Adrian had found Sydney, a woman that would love him for him. I'm happy that all of my friends had found someone to love them whole-heartedly.

**Lissa and I got to sit together in our shared afternoon classes but didn't do much talking. The stares she'd mentioned certainly did follow us, but I found that the more I talked to people, the more they warmed up. Slowly, gradually, they seemed to remember who we were, and the novelty‒though not the intrigue‒of our crazy stunt wore off.**

** Or maybe I should say, they remembered who ****_I_**** was. Because I was the only one talking. Lissa stared straight ahead, listening but neither acknowledging nor participating in my attempts at conversation. I could feel anxiety and sadness pouring out of her.**

** "All right," I told her when classes finally ended. We stood outside the school, and I was fully aware that in doing so, I was already breaking the terms of my agreement with Kirova. "We're not staying her," I told her, looking around the campus uneasily. "I'm going to find a way to get us out."**

A loud sigh comes from Alberta. "Were you really going to try to escape Rose? Even after the deal Kirova made you. She could have kicked you out but she allowed you to stay."

I found myself getting very defensive. "She was only going to leave because of me, and if I remember correctly we didn't end up leaving anyway."

They turned to stare at me. "Are you feeling alright, Babe?"

I nod my head in answer to Christian's question. "It's just hard to listen to people be hard on Rose when everything she did was to protect me. And I hate that people were, are, still hard on her."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad, my Queen. I was just . . . surprised isn't the right word . . . stunned, I guess, that she would risk taking you out of the Academy, again, despite the fact that she knew she was so behind in her training." Alberta replied, attempting to offer up an apology.

Christian clears his throat, "maybe I should read the few paragraphs before anyone else gets angry."

** "You think we could really do it a second time?" Lissa asked quietly.**

** "Absolutely." I spoke with certainty, again relieved she couldn't read my feelings. Escaping had been tricky enough. Doing it again would be a real bitch, not that I couldn't still find a way.**

** "You really would, wouldn't you?" She smiled, more to herself than to me, like she'd thought of something funny. "Of course you would. It's just, well . . ." She sighed. "I don't know if we should go. Maybe‒maybe we should stay."**

** I blinked in astonishment. "What?" Not one of my more eloquent answers, but the best I could manage. I'd never expected this from her.**

** "I saw you, Rose. I saw you talking to the other novices during class, talking about practice. You miss that."**

** "It's not worth it," I argued. "Not if . . . not if ****_you_**** . . ." I couldn't finish, but she was right. She'd read me. I ****_had_**** missed the other novices. Even some of the Moroi. But there was more to it than just that. The weight of my inexperience, how much I'd fallen behind, had been growing all day.**

** "It might be better," she countered. "I haven't had as many . . . you know, things happening in a while. I haven't felt like anyone was following or watching us."**

** I didn't say anything to that. Before we'd left the Academy, she'd always felt like someone was following her, like she was being hunted. I'd never seen evidence to support that, but I had once heard one of our teachers go on and on about the same sort of thing. Ms. Karp. She'd been a pretty Moroi, with deep auburn hair and high cheekbones. And I was pretty sure she'd been crazy.**

I find myself glancing over at Sonya Karp, my former teacher. I still shuddered at the idea that I could have gone crazy like she had if it hadn't been for Rose.

** "You never know who's watching," she used to say, walking briskly around the classroom as she shut all the blinds. "Or who's following you. Best to be safe. Best to ****_always_**** be safe." We'd snickered amongst ourselves because that's what students do around eccentric and paranoid teachers. The thought of Lissa acting like her bothered me.**

** "What's wrong?" lissa asked, noticing that I was lost in thought.**

** "Huh? Nothing. Just thinking." I sighed, trying to balance my own wants with what was best for her. "Liss, we can stay, I guess . . . but there are a few conditions."**

** This made her laugh. "A Rose ultimatum, huh?"**

Rose lets out a loud laugh, "I gues when it's said out loud that does sound like a contradiction. Doesn't it?"

I shake my head, and sigh at her. "I don't think it sounds like a contradiction at all really. It sounds like my sister trying to protect me."

A rare Rose smile shines on her face. "I do love you like a sister Lissa, and don't you ever forget that."

"I love you too Rose."

** "I'm serious." Words I didn't say very much. "I want you to stay away from the royals. Not like Natalie or anything, but you know, the others. The power players. Camille. Carly. That group."**

** Her amusement turned to astonishment. "Are you serious?"**

** "Sure. You never liked them anyway."**

** "****_You_**** did."**

** "No. Not really. I liked what they could offer. All the parties and stuff."**

** "And you can go without that now?" She looked skeptical.**

** "Sure. We did in Portland."**

** "Yeah, but that was different." Her eyes stared off, not really focused on any one thing. "Here . . . ****_here_**** I've got to be a part of that. I can't avoid it."**

** "The hell you do. Natalie stays out of that stuff."**

** "Natalie isn't going to inherit her family's title," she retorted. "I've already got it. I've got to be involved, start making connections. Andre‒"**

** "Liss," I groaned. "You ****_aren't_**** Andre." I couldn't believe she was still comparing herself to her brother.**

** "He was always involved in all that stuff."**

** "Yeah, well," I snapped back, "he's ****_dead_**** now."**

"I admit that was really harsh of me, but nothing else was going to get my point across," said Rose.

** Her face hardened. "You know, sometimes you aren't very nice."**

** "You don't keep me around to be nice. You want nice, there are a dozen sheep in there who would rip each other's throats to get in good with the Dragomir princess. You keep me around to tell you the truth, and here it is: Andre's dead. You're the heir now, and you're going to deal with it however you can. But for now, that means staying away from the other royals. We'll just lie low. Coast through the middle. Get involved in that stuff again, Liss, and you'll drive yourself . . ."**

** "****_Crazy_****?" she supplied when I didn't finish.**

There are times that I wonder if I'm crazy, but most of the time the meds help with the side effects of Spirit, and when they don't I talk to Rose and that helps subdue the side effects tremendously.

** Now I looked away. "I didn't mean . . ."**

** "It's okay," she said, after a moment. She sighed and touched my arm. "Fine. We'll stay, and we'll keep out of all that stuff. We'll 'coast through the middle' like you want. Hang out with Natalie, I guess."**

** To be totally honest, I didn't want any of that. I wanted to go to all the royal parties and wild drunken festivities like we'd done before. We'd kept out of that life for years until Lissa's parents and brother died. Andre should have been the one to inherit her family's title, and he'd charmed everyone he knew and had been a leader in all the royal cliques and clubs that existed on campus. After his death, Lissa had felt it was her family duty to take his place.**

** I'd gotten to join that world with her. It was easy for me, because I didn't really have to deal with the politics of it. I was a pretty dhampir, one who didn't mind getting into trouble and pulling crazy stunts. I became a novelty; they liked having me around for the fun of it.**

"That is not a good thing Rose. Especially if you want to be a guardian for Lissa."

Rose stares at her mom. "1) I'm already her guardian 2) this was in the past and 3) I'm not like that now"

Janine sighs, "I'm sorry it's just hard to hear my daughter demean herself for the sake of a good time. I know you're not like that now, but that doesn't mean that it isn't hard for me to hear."

"I know and I'm sorry. I was once informed of why I acted like I did after the accident, but considering the source, I'm not to sure on the validity of it."

** Lissa had to deal with other matters. The Dragomirs were one of the twelve ruling families. She'd have a very powerful place in Moroi society, and the other young royals wanted to get in good with her. Fake friends tried to schmooze her and get her to team up against other people. The royals could bribe and backstab in the same breath‒and that was just with ****_each other_****. To dhampirs and non-royals, they were completely unpredictable.**

** That cruel culture had eventually taken its toll on Lissa. She had an open, kind nature, one that I loved, and I hated to see her upset and stressed by royal games. She'd grown fragile since the accident, and all the parties in the world weren't worth seeing her hurt.**

** "All right then," I said finally. "We'll see how this goes. If anything goes wrong‒anything at all‒we leave. No arguments."**

** She nodded.**

** "Rose?"**

** We both looked up at Dimitri's looming form. I hoped he hadn't heard the part about us leaving.**

"How long had you been standing there and how much did you end up hearing?"

A contemplative look settles on Dimitri's face before he answers. "I hadn't been standing there long, but I did hear the last of your conversation."

I nod my head, "it's a wonder he didn't chain you to his side. He offers to be your mentor and then you talk about leaving. That would have looked really bad for him . . . not it was about his image." In attempt to cover up my fumble I motion for Christian to continue reading.

** "You're late for practice," he said evenly. Seeing Lissa, he gave a polite nod. "Princess."**

** As he and I walked away, I worried about Lissa and wondered if staying here was the right thing to do. I felt nothing alarming through the bond, but her emotions spiked all over the place. Confusion. Nostalgia. Fear. Anticipation. Strong and powerful, they flooded into me.**

** I felt the pull just before it happened. It was exactly like what had happened on the plane: her emotions grew so strong that they "sucked" me into her head before I could stop them. I could now see and feel what she did.**

** She walked slowly around the commons, toward the small Russian Orthodox chapel that served most of the school's religious needs. Lissa had always attended mas regularly. Not me. I had a standing arrangement with God: I'd agree to believe in him‒barely‒so long as he let me sleep in on Sundays.**

** But as she went inside, I could feel that she wasn't there to pray. She had another purpose, one I didn't know about. Glancing around, she verified that neither the priest nor any worshippers were close by. The place was empty.**

** Slipping through a doorway in the back of the chapel, she climbed a narrow set of creaky stairs up into the attic. Here it was dark and dusty. The only light came through a large stained-glass window that fractured th faint glow of sunrise into the tiny, multicolored gems across the floor.**

** I hadn't known until that moment that this room was a regular retreat for Lissa. But now I could feel it, feel her memories of how she used to escape here to be alone and to think. The anxiety in her ebbed away ever so lightly as she took in her surroundings. She climber up into the window seat and leaned her head back against its side, momentarily entranced by the silence and the light.**

** Moroi could stand some sunlight, unlike Strigoi, but they had to limit their exposure. Sitting here, she could almost pretend she was in the sun, protected by the glass's dilution of the rays.**

**_Breathe, just breathe,_**** she told herself. ****_It'll be okay. Rose will take care of everything._**

** She believed that passionately, like always, and relaxed further.**

** Then a low voice spoke from the darkness.**

"Oh goody, this is where I come in," Christian said with sarcasm heavily laced through.

** "You can have the Academy but not the window seat."**

** She sprang up, heart pounding. I shared her anxiety, and my own pulse quickened. "Who's there?"**

** A moment later, a shape rose from behind a stack of crates, just outside of her field of vision. The figure stepped forward, and in the poor lighting, familiar features materialized. Messy black hair. Pale blue eyes. A perpetually sardonic smirk.**

** Christian Ozera.**

** "Don't worry," he said. "I won't bite. Well, at least not in the way you're afraid of." He chuckled at his own joke.**

** She didn't find it funny. She had completely forgotten about Christian. So had I.**

"I was so incredibly forgettable back then. It kind of makes me sad for my past self. I hated how everyone thought I would become my parents, so they treated me with utter disdain." I could feel the bitterness rolling off of him at the thought of our school days.

I snuggle into his side. "I love you just the way you are, and nothing is going to change that. I promise."

** No matter what happened in our world, a few basic truths about vampires remained the same. Moroi were alive; Strigoi were undead. Moroi were mortal; Strigoi were ****_made_****.**

** And there were two ways to make a Strigoi. Strigoi could forcibly turn humans, dhampirs, or Moroi with a single bite. Moroi tempted by the promise of immortality could become strigoi by choice if they purposely killed another person while feeding. Doing that was considered dark and twisted, the greatest of all sins, both against the Moroi way of life and nature itself. Moroi who chose this dark path lost their ability to connect with elemental magic and other powers of the world. That was why they could no longer go into the sun.**

I glance over at Dimitri and Sonya Karp. They both have identical looks of shame on their faces.

** This is what happened to Christian's parents. They were Strigoi.**

A deep sadness settles in my chest. Christian is an amazing man and it made me extremely sad to know that they would never get to see the man that their son had become. I grab Christian's hand and snuggle into his chest, trying to lend him my strength. A small smile graces his face, and he lays his head on top of mine.

The room is silent while Christian places the bookmark inside. "Who wants to read the next chapter?"

Alberta raises her hand. "I will."


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey, I'm sorry I haven't posted for a little while.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing and no profit is being made off of this story.**

**As always please read and review**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**_ Sydney's POV_**

**OR RATHER, THEY HAD BEEN Strigoi. A regiment of guardians had hunted them down and killed them. If rumors were true, Christian had witnessed it all when he was very young. And although he wasn't far off, with the way he always wore black and kept to himself.**

I had seen Strigoi before, and they had terrified me. I had seen the damage done by these creatures, but I could't imagine what it had been like for a young child to see his parents killed.

"It was horrible to see my parents killed. I . . . I hadn't known that anything was wrong with them. I just thought that their eyes were red because they had been crying. Aunt Tasha," a small, nearly indiscernible flinch passed through him. "Had told me that they were fine . . . she said they were just upset . . . and to go watch television." Christian takes a deep breath as Lissa cuddles into his body, comforting him. "I heard yelling coming from the kitchen, but I just ignored it. Suddenly a huge group of guardians came rushing in the house." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "They were dragging my parents out of the house, when my parents decided to fight back. They staked both of my parents right in front of me." When he finished talking a tear fell down his face.

Not a single person knew what to say to Christian, so Rose motioned to Alberta to continue reading.

** Strigoi or not, I didn't trust him. He was a jerk, and I silently screamed at Lissa to get out of there‒not that my screaming did much good, Stupid one-way bond.**

** "What are doing here?" she asked.**

** "Taking in the sights, of course. That chair with the tarp on it is particularly lovely this time a year. Over there, we have an old box full of the writings of the blessed and crazy St. Vladimir. And let's not forget that beautiful table with no legs in the corner."**

"I never understood why you were so incredibly sarcastic." Lissa said, teasingly.

Christian rolls his eyes, "I was lonely and bitter with no one to talk to. The best way to express that lonely bitterness was to be sarcastic."

** "Whatever." She rolled her eyes and moved toward the door, wanting to leave, but he blocked he way.**

** "Well, what about ****_you_****?" he taunted. "Whay are you up here? Don't you have parties to go to or lives to destroy?"**

"That was mean of me to say. I know, now, what your life was like, but then I couldn't see past the end of my own nose."

** Some of Lissa's old spunk returned. "Wow, that's hilarious. Am I like a rite of passage now? Go and see if you can piss off Lissa to prove how cool you are? Some girl I don't even know yelled at me today, and now I've got to deal with you? What does it take to be left alone?"**

** "Oh. So that's why you're up here. For a pity party."**

** "This isn't a joke. I'm serious." I could tell Lissa was getting angry. It was trumping her earlier distress.**

** He shrugged and leaned casually against the sloping wall. "So am I. I love pity parties. I wish I'd brought the hats. What do you want to mope about first? How it's going to take you a whole day to be popular and loved again? How you'll have to wait a couple weeks before Hollister can ship out some new clothes? If you spring for rush shipping, it might not be so long."**

**"Let me leave," she said angrily, this time pushing him aside.**

** "Wait," he sai, as she reached for the door. The sarcasm disappeared from his voice. "What . . . um, what was it like?"  
"What was ****_what_**** like?" she snapped.**

** "Being out there. Away from the Academy."**

"So . . . I'm confused," Viktoria stated.

"Oh that's not new. You're always confused," Dimitri said teasingly.

A pang of jealousy zings through me. My sister and I used to be close, but as time went on we just drifted apart. I take a deep breath, hoping to make the jealousy subside, and I snuggle into Adrian's side, tuning back into the conversation.

"I'm just going to ignore that extremely rude interruption. If you had lived out in the human world, why did you ask her what it was like out there?" asked Viktoria. "I mean, you already know what it's like to live with humans."

"I really just wanted to keep talking to her. The only way she would stay and talk to me was if I asked her questions, but I didn't know how to be kind. I was too bitter and angry at the world." Christian answered, pulling Lissa against his body.

** She hesitated for a moment before answering, caught off guard by what seemed like a genuine attempt at conversation. "It was great. No one knew who I was. I was just another face. Not Moroi. Not royal. Not anything." She looked down at the floor. "Everyone here thinks they know who I am."**

** "Yeah. It's kind of hard to outlive your past," he said bitterly.**

** It occurred to Lissa at that moment‒and me to by default‒just how hard it might be to be Christian. Most of the time, people treated him like he didn't exist. Like he was a ghost. They didn't talk to or about him. They just didn't notice him. The stigma of his parents' crime was too strong, casting its shadow onto the entire Ozera family.**

** Still, he'd pissed her off, and she wasn't about to feel sorry for him.**

** "Wait‒is this your pity party now?"**

** He laughed, almost approvingly. "This room has been my pity party for a year now."**

** "Sorry," said Lissa snarkily. "I was coming here before I left. I've got a longer claim."**

** "Squatters' rights. Besides, I have to make sure I stay near the chapel as much as possible so people know I haven't gone Strigoi . . . yet." Again, the bitter tone rang out.**

** "I used to always see you at mass. Is that the only reason you go? To look good?" Strigoi couldn't enter holy ground. More of that sinning-against-the-world thing.**

** "Sure," he said. "Why else go? For the good of your ****_soul_****?"**

I sigh and shake my head in disbelief. "You know, it doesn't seem like you cared about what other people thought of you, so why would you go to church for the sole purpose of proving to people that you weren't Strigoi? It seems awfully disrespectful to those who do truly believe."

Christian shrugs his shoulders. "I've lived under everyone's constant scrutiny, their constant suspicion. They're just waiting for me to follow in my parents' footsteps. I may have put up this 'screw you' persona, but I hated how everyone thought that I was evil just because my parents made a horrible decision. And the best way to prove to people that I'm not evil was to go to church."

A wave of guilt washes through me, and everyone in the room shifts uncomfortably and looks away. "I'm sorry."

Christian shrugs his shoulders. "It's in the past, and I get to marry the prettiest girl on the planet, forever and always. So for the people who doubted me, I say 'go fu . . . away," he amends, staring at Paul.

** "Whatever," said Lissa, who clearly had a different opinion. "'ll leave you alone then."**

** "Wait," he said again. He didn't seem to want her to go. "I'll make you a deal. You can hang out here too if you tell me one thing."**

** "What?" She glanced back at him.**

** He leaned forward. "of all the rumors I heard about you today‒and believe me, I heard plenty, even if no one actually told them to me‒there was one that didn't come up very much. They dissected everything else: why you left, what you did out there, why you came back, the specialization, what Rose said to Mia, blah, blah, blah. And in all of that, no one, no one ever questioned the stupid story Rose told about there being all sorts of fringe humans who let you take blood."**

** She looked away, and I could feel her cheeks starting to burn. "It's not stupid. Or a story."**

"You are a horrible liar Lissa," stated Rose.

I couldn't help but chuckle. It still amazed me how much my life had changed since I met Rose. I had never imagined when this all began that I would fall in love with a Moroi or be friends with a dhampir.

** He laughed softly. "I've lived with humans. My aunt and I stayed away after my parents . . . died. It's not that easy to find blood." When she didn't answer, he laughed again. "It was Rose wasn't it? She fed you."**

** A renewed fear shot through both her and me. No one at the school could know about that. Kirova and the guardians on the scene knew, but they'd kept that knowledge to themselves.**

** "Well. If that's not friendship, I don't know what is," he said.**

** "You can't tell anyone," she blurted out.**

** This was all we needed. As I'd just been reminded, feeders were vampire-bite addicts. We accepted that as a part of life, but still looked down on them for it. For anyone else‒****_especially_**** a dhampir‒letting Moroi take blood from you was almost, well, dirty. In fact, one of the kinkiest, practically pornographic things a dhampir could do was let a Moroi drink blood during sex.**

"Oh thank God, because, for a moment, I thought you two had. Thank you for setting me straight." Adrian said teasingly.

I couldn't but laugh as Rose stuck out her tongue and flips off Adrian.

Alberta clears her throat and starts to read again.

** Lissa and I hadn't had sex, of course, but we'd both known what others would think of me feeding her.**

** "Don't tell anyone," Lissa repeated.**

** He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and sat down on one of the crates. "Who am I going to tell? Look, go grab the window seat. You can have it today and hang out for a while. If you're not still afraid of me."**

** She hesitated, studying him. He looked dark and surly, lips curled in a sort of I'm-such-a-rebel smirk. But he didn't look too dangerous. He didn't Strigoi. Gingerly, she sat back down in the window seat, unconsciously rubbing her arms against the cold.**

** Christian watched her, and a moment later, the air warmed up considerably.**

** Lissa met Christian's eyes and smiled, surprised she'd never noticed how icy blue they were before. "You specialized in fire?"**

** He nodded and pulled up a broken chair. "Now we have luxury accommodations."**

** I snapped out of the vision.**

** "Rose? Rose?"**

** Blinking, I focused on Dimitri's face.**

"It was strange. You just stood there with this far-away look on your face, and you didn't respond to anything. It scared me."

**He was leaning toward me, his hands gripping my shoulders. I'd stopped walking; we stood in the middle of the quad separating the upper school buildings.**

** "Are you alright?"**

** "I . . . yeah. I was . . . I was with Lissa . . ." I put a hand to my forehead. I'd never had such a long or clear experience like that. "I was in her head."**

** "Her . . . head?"**

** "Yeah. It's part of the bond." I didn't really feel like elaborating.**

** "Is she alright?"**

** "Yeah, she's . . ." I hesitated. ****_Was_**** she alright? Christian Ozera had just invited her to hang out with him. Not good. There was "coasting through the middle," and then there was turning to the dark side. But the feelings humming through the bond were no longer scared or upset. She was almost content, though still a little nervous. "She's not in danger," I finally said. I hoped.**

"I still Lissa has completely lost her mind," Rose said, lightly tickling Lissa.

Lissa stares at Rose for a moment, a smirk slowly forming on her face. "Says the one who is in love with her mentor, not to mention the fact that he's seven years older than you."

Rose adopts a mock hurt expression. "Ouch . . . that hurt, Lissa, seriously."

** "Can you keep going?"**

** The hard, stoic warrior I'd met earlier was gone‒just for a moment‒and he actually looked concerned. Truly concerned. Feeling his eyes on me like that made something flutter inside of me‒which was stupid of course. I had no reason to get all goofy, just because the man was too good-looking for his own good. After all, he was an antisocial god, according to Mason. One who was supposedly going to leave me in all sorts of pain.**

** "Yeah. I'm fine."**

** I went into the gym's dressing room and changed into the workout clothes someone had finally thought to give me after a day of practicing in jeans and a T-shirt. Gross. Lissa hanging out with Christian troubled me, but I shoved that thought away for later as my muscles informed me they did not want to go through any more exercise today.**

** So I suggested to Dimitri that maybe he should let me off this time.**

** He laughed, and I was pretty sure it was ****_at_**** me and not ****_with_**** me.**

** "Why is that funny?"**

** "Oh," he said, his smile dropping. "You were serious."**

** Of course I was! Look, I've technically been awake for ****_two_**** days. Why do we have to start this training now? Let me go to bed," I whined. "It's just one hour."**

** He crossed his arms and looked down at me. His earlier concern was gone. He was all business now. Tough love. "How do you feel right now? After training you've done so far?"**

** "I hurt like hell."**

** "You'll feel worse tomorrow."**

** "So?"**

** "So, better to jump in now while you still feel . . . not as bad."**

"What kind of logic is that?" asked Viktoria

** "What kind of logic is that?" I retorted.**

A small, fake shudder runs through her body. "Oh God, I think like Rose. But, in her defense, I will admit my brother can certainly be a hard ass."

Dimitri shakes his head at Viktoria, but he doesn't respond.

** But I didn't argue anymore as he led me into the weight room. He showed me the weights and reps he wanted me to do, then sprawled in a corner with a battered Western novel. Some god.**

** When I finished, he stood beside me and demonstrated a few cool-down stretches.**

** "How'd you end up as Lissa's guardian?" I asked. "You weren't here a few years ago. Were you even trained at this school?"**

** He didn't answer right away. I go the feeling he didn't talk about himself very often. "No. I attended the one in Siberia."**

** "Whoa. That's got to be the only place worse than Montana."**

** A glint of something‒maybe amusement‒sparked inhis eyes, but he didn't acknowledge the joke. "After I graduated, I was a guardian for a Zeklos lord. He was killed recently." His smile dropped, his face grew dark. "They sent me here because they needed extras on campus. When the princess turned up, they assigned me to her, since I'd already be around. Not that it matters until she leaves campus."**

** I thought about what he'd said before. Some Strigoi killed the guy he was supposed to have been guarding? "Did this lord die on your watch?"**

** "No. He was with his other guardian. I was away."**

** He fell silent, his mind obviously somewhere else. The Moroi expected a lot from us, but they did recognize that the guardians were‒more or less‒only human. So, guardians got pay and time off like you'd get in any other job. Some hard-core guardians‒like my mom‒refused vacations, vowing to never leave their Moroi's sides. Looking at Dimitri now, I had a feeling he might very well turn into one of those. If he'd been away on a legitimate leave, he could hardly blame himself for what happened to that guy. Still, he probably did anyway. I'd blame myself too if something happened to Lissa.**

I smile slightly as Rose tightens her grip on Dimitri and snuggles closer to him.

** "Hey," I said, suddenly wanting to cheer him up, "did you help come up with the plan to get us back? Because it was pretty good. Brute force and all that."**

** He arched an eyebrow curiously. Cool. I'd always wished I could do that. "You're complimenting me on that?"**

** "Well, it was hell of a lot better than the last one they tried."**

** "Last one?"**

** "Yeah. In Chicago. With the pack of psi-hounds."**

"The school would never send psi-hounds after students, never." Janine said, fury written on her face. "The psi-hounds could have potentially killed you two. Why would anybody send hunting animals after two teenage girls."

A look of concern passes over Rose's face at the same time that a look of trepidation and pain crosses Lissa's face.

"We didn't send psi-hounds after you. The first time we found you two were in Portland," Alberta stated.

"I know that now, but I didn't at the time." Rose answered.

** "This was the first time we found you. In Portland."**

** I sat up from my stretches and crossed my legs. "Um, I don't think I imagined psi-hounds. Who else could have sent them? They only answer to Moroi. Maybe no one told you about it."**

** "Maybe," he said dismissively. I could tell by his face he didn't believe that.**

** I returned to the novices' dorm after that. The Moroi students lived on the other side of the quad, closer to the commons. The living arrangements were partly based on convience. Being here kept us novices closer to the gym and training grounds. But we also lived separately to accommodate the differences in Moroi and dhampir lifestyles. Their dorm had almost no windows, aside from tinted ones that dimmed sunlight. They also had a special section where feeders always stayed on hand. The novices' dorm was built in a more open way, allowing for more light.**

** I had my own room because there were so few novices, let alone girls. The room they'd given me was small and plain, with a twin bed and a desk with a few belongings had been spirited out of Portland and now sat in boxes around the room. I rummaged through them, pulling out a T-shirt to sleep in. I found a couple of pictures as I did, one of Lissa and me at a football game in Portland and another taken when I had gone on vacation with her family, a year before the accident.**

** I set them on my desk and booted up the computer. Someone from tech support had helpfully given me a sheet with instructions for renewing my e-mail account and setting up a password. I did both, happy to discover no one had realized that this would serve as a way for me to communicate with Lissa. Too tired to write her now, I was about to turn everything off when I noticed I already had a message. From Janine Hathaway. It was short:**

**_I'm glad you're back. What you did was inexcusable._**

Abe stares at Janine, but it was Karolina who spoke. "Wow that is majorly harsh. She's your daughter, were you even concerned for her."

A teary-eyed Janine turned and faced Dimitri's sister, Karolina. "I did care, but I blamed her for a lot of things that weren't her fault. I took it out on her by ignoring her and when I did see her I criticized her in excess."

Rose stands up and walks over to her mother, pulling her into a hug. "That was the past. You're in my life now and for that I'm glad."

Janine nods, wiping at the tears silently falling down her face. "We should continue reading if we want to get out of here anytime soon."

** "Love you too, Mom," I muttered, shutting it all down**

** When I went to bed afterward, I passed out before even hitting the pillow, and just as Dimitri had predicted, I felt ten times worse when I woke up the next morning. Lying there in bed, I reconsidered the perks of running away. Then I remembered getting my ass kicked and figured the only way to prevent that from happening again was to go endure some more of it this morning.**

** My soreness made it all that much worse, but I survived the before-school practice with Dimitri and my subsequent classes without passing out or fainting.**

"I'm so glad that I'm an alchemist and not a guardian," I said laughingly.

Rose rolls her eyes at me, "whatever you say Sydney."

** At lunch, I dragged Lissa away from Natalie's table early and gave her a Kirova-worthy lecture about Christian‒particularly chastising her for letting him know about our blood arrangement. If that got out, it'd kill both of us socially, and I didn't trust him not to tell.**

** Lissa had other concerns.**

** "You were in my head again?" she exclaimed. "For ****_that_**** long?"**

** "I didn't do it on purpose," I argued. "it just happened. And that's not the point. How long did you hang out with him afterward?"**

** "Not that long. It was kind of . . . fun."**

** "Well, you can't do it again. If people find out you're hanging out with him, they'll crucify you." I eyed her warily. "You aren't, like, into him, are you?"**

** She scoffed "No. of course not."**

** "Good. Because if you're going to go after a guy, steal Aaron back." He was boring, yes, but safe. Just like Natalie. How come all the harmless people were so lame? Maybe that was the definition of safe.**

** She laughed. "Mia would claw my eyes out."**

** "We can take her. Besides, he deserves someone who doesn't shop at Gap Kids."**

"Yes, yes, I get it, I look really young. Do we have to constantly point out my really youthful looks?" asked an exasperated Mia.

** "Rose, you've got to stop saying things like that."**

** "I'm just saying what you won't."**

** "She's only a year younger," said Lissa. She laughed. "I can't believe you think ****_I'm_**** the one who's going to get us in trouble."**

** Smiling as we strolled to class, I gave her a sidelong glance. "Aaron does look pretty good though, huh?"**

** She smiled back and avoided me eyes. "Yeah. Pretty good."**

** "Ooh. You see? You should go after him."**

** "Whatever. I'm fine being friends now."**

** "Friends who stick their tongues down each other's throats."**

** She rolled her eyes.**

** "Fine." I let my teasing go. "Let Aaron stay in the nursery school. Just so long as you stay away from Christian. He's dangerous."**

** "You're overreacting. He's not going Strigoi."**

** "He's a bad influence."**

** She laughed. "You think ****_I'm_**** in danger of going Strigoi?"**

** She didn't wait for my answer, instead pushing ahead to open the door to our science class. Standing there, I uneasily replayed her words and then followed a moment later. When I did, I go to see royal power in action. A few guys‒with gigling, watching girls‒were messing with a gangly-looking Moroi. I didn't know him very well, but I knew he was poor and certainly not royal. A couple of his tormentors were air-magic users, and they'd blown the papers off his desk and were pushing them around the room on currents of air while the guy tried to catch them.**

** My instincts urged me to do something, maybe go smack one of the air users. But I couldn't pick a fight with everyone who annoyed me, and certainly not a group of royals‒especially when Lissa needed to stay off their radar. So I could only give them a look of disgust as I walked to my desk. As I did, a hand caught my arm. Jesse.**

** "Hey," I said jokingly. Fortunately, he didn't appear to be participating in the torture session. "Hands off the merchandise."**

** He flashed me a smile but kept his hand on me. "Rose, tell Paul about the time you started the fight in Ms. Karp's class."**

** I cocked my head toward him, giving him a playful smile. "I started a lot of fights in her class."**

** "The one with the hermit crab. And the gerbil."**

** I laughed, recalling it. "Oh yeah. It was a hamster, I think. I just dropped it into the crab's tank, and they were both worked up from being so close to me, so they went at it."**

** Paul, a guy sitting nearby whom I didn't really know, chuckled too. He'd transferred last year, apparently, and hadn't heard of this. "Who won?"**

** I looked at Jesse quizically. "I don't remember. Do you?"**

** "No. I just remember Karp freaking out." He turned toward Paul. "Man, you should have seen this messed-up teacher we used to have. Used to think people were after her and would go off on stuff that didn't make any sense. She was nuts. Used to wander campus while everyone was asleep."**

I glance over at Sonya. She shakes her head before burying it in Mikhail's chest, her body shaking slightly. I couldn't but feel sorry for her. These books would serve as a constant reminder of her past. My attention is drawn back to Alberta as she continued to read.

** I smiled tightly, like I thought it was funny. Instead, I thought back to Ms. Karp again, surprised to be thinking about her for the second time in two days. Jesse was right‒she ****_had_**** wandered the campus a lot when she still worked here. It was pretty creepy. I'd run into her once‒unexpectedly.**

** I'd been climbing out of my dorm window to go hang out with some people. It was after hours, and we were all supposed to be in our rooms, fast asleep. Such escape tactics were a regular practice for me. I was good at them.**

** But I fell that time. I had a second-floor room, and I lost my grip about halfway down. Sensing the ground rush up toward me, I tried to desperately to grab ahold of something and slow my fall. The building's rough stone tore into my skin, causing cuts I was too preoccupied to feel. I slammed into the grassy earth, back first, getting the wind knocked out of me.**

** "Bad form, Rosemarie. You should be more careful. Your instructors would be disappointed."**

** Peering through the tangle of my hair, I saw Ms. Karp looking down at me, a bemused look on her face. Pain, in the meantime, shot through every part of my body.**

** Ignoring it as best I could, I clambered to my feet. Being in class with Crazy Karp while surrounded by other students was one thing. Standing outside alone with her was an entirely different matter. She always had an eerie, distracted gleam in her eye that made my skin break out in goose bumps.**

** There was also now a high likelihood she'd drag me off to Kirova for detention. Scarier still.**

** Instead, she just smiled and reached for my hands. I flinched but let her take them. She ****_tsk_****ed when she saw the scrapes. Tightening her grip on them, she frowned slightly. A tingle burned my skin, laced with a sort of pleasant buzz, and then the wounds closed up. I had a brief sense of dizziness. My temperature spiked. The blood disappeared, as did the pain in my hip and leg.**

"When you put it that way, it just sounds creepy," Adrian stated. "It seems weird to hear it from the recipient's view."

** Gasping, I jerked my hands away. I'd seen a lot of Moroi magic, but never anything like that.**

** "What . . . what did you do?"**

** She gave me that weird smile again. "Go back to your dorm, Rose. There are bad things out here. You never know what's following you."**

** I was still staring at my hands. "But . . ."**

** I looked back up at her and for the first time noticed the scars on the sides of her forehead. Like nails had dug into them. She winked. "I won't tell on you if you don't tell on me."**

** I jumped back to the present, unsettled by the memory of that bizarre night. Jesse, in the meantime, was telling me about a party.**

** "You've got to slip your leash tonight. We're going up to that spot in the woods around eight thirty. Mark got some weed."**

** I sighed wistfully, regret replacing the chill I'd felt over the memory of Ms. Karp. "Can't slip the leash. I'm with my Russian jailer."**

** He let go of my arm, looking disappointed, and ran a hand through his bronze-colored hair. Yeah. Not being able to hang out with him was a damned shame. I really would have to fix that someday. "Can't you ever get off for good behavior," he joked.**

** I gave him what I hoped was a seductive smile as I found my seat. "Sure," I called over my shoulder. "If I was ever good."**

Janine, Rose's mother, shakes her head. "Really, Rose? That does not help your reputation."

"I know, but I didn't care back then. I didn't care at all. I wanted to be a normal teenager, and I didn't care how I did it."

Alberta places the bookmark inside the book and closes it. "Who would like to read next?" she asks.

Dimitri's mother raises her hand, "I'd like to."


	8. Chapter 7

**I wanted to thank everyone who's reviewed. They definitely keep me going.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does, and no profit is being made off of this story.**

**As always, please read and review.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Mia's POV_

**AS MUCH AS LISSA AND Christian's meeting bothered me, it gave me an idea the next day.**

"**Hey, Kirova‒er, Ms. Kirova." I stood in the doorway of her office, not having bothered to make an appointment. She raised her eyes from some paperwork, clearly annoyed to see me.**

Adrian snickered, "Who isn't annoyed to see you, Rose."

"**Yes, Miss Hathaway?"**

"**Does my house arrest mean I can't go to church?"**

"**I beg your pardon?"**

"**You said that whenever I'm not in class or practice, I have to stay in the dorm. But what about church on Sundays? I don't think it's really fair to keep me away from my religious . . . um, needs." Or deprive me of another chance‒no matter how short and boring‒to hang out with Lissa.**

I laugh, "Rose, you might've been more convincing if you hadn't said um."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know." Rose answered, sticking her tongue out at me.

I roll my eyes and motion for Dimitri's mother, Olena, to continue.

**She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I wasn't aware you had any religious needs."**

"**I found Jesus while I was gone."**

"**Isn't your mother an atheist?" she asked skeptically.**

"**And my dad's probably Muslim. But I've moved on to my own path. You shouldn't keep me from it."**

A loud huffing noise escapes from Rose's father, Abe. "Just because I'm Turkish does not mean that I'm Muslim."

I wanted to laugh at how much Rose and he sounded alike. They were both stubborn, could talk circles around you until you just wanted them to shut up, and they were both intelligent.

Rose looks at her father and asks, "Just out of curiosity, are you Muslim?"

Abe shakes his head. "No, I was an atheist like your mother, but when all of that stuff started happening to you I found myself praying to God that you would be alright. That nothing bad would happen to you."

**She made a noise that sort of sounded like a snicker. "No, Miss Hathaway, I should not. Very well. You may attend services on Sundays."**

**The victory was short-lived, however, because church was every bit as lame as I remembered when I attended a few days later. I did get to sit next to Lissa, though, which made me feel like I was getting away with something. Mostly I just people-watched. Church was optional for students, but with so many Eastern European families, a lot of students were Eastern Orthodox Christians and attended either because they believed or because their parents made them.**

**Christian sat on the opposite side of the aisle, pretending to be just as holy as he'd said. As much as I didn't like him, his fake faith still made me smile. Dimitri sat in the back, face lined with shadows, and, like me, didn't take communion. As thoughtful as he looked, I wondered if he even listened to the service. I tuned in and out.**

A horrified look crosses Sydney's face while Lissa just shakes her head.

"Typical Rose, never paying any attention to anything if it doesn't have immediate concern." Christian said, sticking his tongue out at Rose in a childish manner.

"Keep it up Sparky and you might find yourself castrated. Then who would help Lissa make more Dragomir  
babies?" Rose said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Christian pales considerably at the thought of being castrated.

I can't help but laugh at their antics. I look around the room, taking in everyone sitting here. Our lives had all been changed by Rose, in a good way of course, but in some form or fashion she touched our lives and altered them considerably. I smile at that thought and turn my attention back to the book.

"**Following God's path is never easy," the priest was saying. "Even St. Vladimir, this school's own patron saint, had a difficult time. He was so filled with spirit that people often flocked around him, enthralled just to listen and be in his presence. So great was his spirit, the old texts say, that he could heal the sick. Yet despite these gifts, many did not respect him. They mocked him, claiming he was misguided and confused."**

**Which was a nice way of saying Vladimir was insane. Everyone knew it. He was one of a handful of Moroi saints, so the priest liked to talk about him a lot. I'd heard all about him, many times over, before we left. Great. It looked like I had an eternity of Sundays to hear his story over and over again.**

" **. . . and so it was with shadow-kissed Anna."**

We all had long since learned what a shadow-kissed person was, but it was strange to experience things first hand through the book.

**I jerked my head up. I had no idea what the priest was talking about now, because I hadn't been listening for some time. But those words burned into me. **_**Shadow-kissed.**_** It had been a while since I heard them. I waited, hoping he'd continue, but he'd already moved on to the next part of the service. The sermon was over.**

**Church concluded, and as Lissa turned to go, I shook my head at her. "Wait for me. I'll be right there."**

**I pushed my way through the crowd, up to the front, where the priest was speaking with a few people. I waited impatiently while he finished. Natalie was there, asking him about volunteer work she could do. Ugh. When she finished, she left, greeting me as she passed.**

**The priest raised his eyebrows when he saw me. "Hello, Rose. It's nice to see you again."**

"**Yeah . . . you too," I said. "I heard you talking about Anna. About how she was 'shadow-kissed.' What does that mean?"**

**He frowned. "I'm not entirely sure. She lived a very long time ago. It was often common to refer to people by titles that reflected some of their traits. It might have been given to make her sound fierce."**

**I tried to hide my disappointment. "Oh. So who was she?"**

**This time his frown was disapproving rather than thoughtful. "I mentioned it a number of times."**

"**Oh. I must have, um, missed that."**

**His disapproval grew, and he turned around. "Wait just a moment."**

**He disappeared through the door near the altar, the one Lissa had taken to the attic. I considered fleeing but thought God might strike me down for that. Less than a minute later, the priest returned with a book. He handed it to me. **_**Moroi Saints**_**.**

"**You can learn about her in here. The next time I see you, I'd like to hear what you've learned."**

**I scowled as I walked away. Great. Homework from the priest.**

All the younger people burst out laughing, quickly having to grab their sides in attempt to ease the , several of the older people were trying to swallow their laugh, but were failing to do so.

"O . . . only Rose w-would . . . manage to get . . . homework from the priest," Eddie managed to say in between laughs.

A deep scowl replaces Rose's smile. "Yeah, yeah, keep laughing and I'll be forced to hurt you."

In attempt to cover up her failing ability to hold in the laughter Olena quickly begins reading again.

**In the chapel's entryway, I found Lissa talking to Aaron. She smiled as she spoke, and the feelings coming off her were happy, though certainly not infatuated.**

"**You're kidding," she exclaimed.**

**He shook his head. "Nope."**

**Seeing me stroll over, she turned to me. "Rose, you're never going to believe this. You know Abby Badica? And Xander? Their guardian wants to resign. And marry **_**another**_** guardian."**

**Now **_**this**_** was exciting gossip. A scandal, actually. "Seriously? Are they, like, going to run off together?"**

**She nodded. "They're getting a house. Going to get jobs with humans, I guess."**

**I glanced at Aaron, who had suddenly turned shy with me there. "How are Abby and Xander dealing with that?"**

"**Okay. Embarrassed. They think it's stupid." Then he realized who he was speaking to. "Oh. I didn't mean‒"**

"**Whatever." I gave him a tight smile. "It **_**is**_** stupid."**

**Wow. I was stunned. The rebellious part of me loved any story where people "fought the system." Only, in this case, they were fighting **_**my**_** system, the one I'd been trained to believe in my entire life.**

**Dhampirs and Moroi had a strange arrangement. Dhampirs had originally been born from Moroi mixing with humans. Unfortunately, dhampirs couldn't reproduce with each other‒or with humans. It was weird genetic thing. Mules were the same way, I'd been told, though that wasn't a comparison I really liked hearing. Dhampirs and full Moroi **_**could**_** have children together, and, through another genetic oddity, their kids came out as standard dhampirs, with half human genes, half vampire genes.**

**With Moroi being the only ones with whom dhampirs could reproduce, we had to stay close to them and intermingle with them. Likewise, it became important to us that the Moroi simply **_**survived**_**. Without them, we were done. And with the way Strigoi loved picking off Moroi, their survival became a legitimate concern for us.**

**That was how the guardian system developed. Dhampirs couldn't work magic, but we made great warriors. We'd inherited enhanced senses and reflexes from our vampire genes and better strength and endurance from our human genes. We also weren't limited a need for blood or trouble with sunlight. Sure, we also weren't as powerful as the Strigoi, but we trained hard, and guardians did a kick-ass job at keeping Moroi safe. Most dhampirs felt it was worth risking their own lives to make sure our kind could still keep having children.**

**Since Moroi usually wanted to have and raise Moroi children, you didn't find a lot of long-term Moroi-dhampir romances. You especially didn't find a lot of Moroi women hooking up with dhampir guys. But plenty of young Moroi men liked fooling around with dhampir women, although those guys usually went on to marry Moroi women. That left a lot of single dhampir mothers, but we were tough and could handle it.**

**However, many dhampir mothers chose not to become guardians in order to raise their children. These women sometimes worked "regular" jobs with Moroi or humans; some of them lived together in communities. These communities had a bad reputation. I don't know how much of it was true, but rumors said Moroi men visited **_**all the time**_** for sex. And that some dhampir women let them drink blood while doing it. Blood whores.**

A sad look settles on Lissa's face. "It shouldn't be like women shouldn't get bad reputations just because they want to raise their children. I imagine it's easier to do so among people that are like you. You don't have to hide anything. Yes, I'm sure that there are some women who allow that behavior, but I imagine a great deal of those women have unfairly earned that reputation."

Pride flashes across Rose's face, while astonishment settles on others.

"You are one of the most understanding and compassionate Moroi I have ever met." Sonya B. says to Lissa. "It's good to know that not all Moroi are selfish and cold-hearted when it comes to dhampirs."

Lissa smile, a blush stealing into her cheeks. "Thank you."

**Regardless, almost all guardians were men, which means there were a lot more Moroi than guardians. Most dhampir guys accepted that they wouldn't have kids. They knew it was their job to protect Moroi while their sisters and cousins had babies.**

**Some dhampir women, like my mother, still felt it was their duty to become guardians‒even if it meant not raising their own kids. After I had been born, she'd handed me over to be raised by Moroi. Moroi and dhampirs start school pretty young, and the Academy had essentially taken over as my parent by the time I was four.**

**Between her example and my life at the Academy, I believed wholeheartedly that it was a dhampir's job to protect Moroi. It was a part of our heritage, **_**and**_** it was the only way we'd keep going. It was that simple.**

**And that was what made what the Badicas' guardian had done so shocking. He'd abandoned his Moroi and run off with another guardian, which meant the she'd abandoned **_**her**_** Moroi. They couldn't even have children together, and now two families were unprotected. What was the point? No one cared if teenage dhampirs dated or if adult dhampirs dated or if adult dhampirs had flings. But a long-term relationship? A complete waste. And a disgrace.**

"Sometimes karma's a bitch. I understand, now, that it wasn't a disgrace, seeing as I fell in love with another guardian, but I hate it when I end with my own words coming back to bite me in the butt." Rose says, shaking her as she did so.

**After a little more speculation on the Badicas, Lissa and I left Aaron. As we stepped outside, I heard a funny shifting sound and then something sliding. Too late, I realized what was happening, just as a pile of slush slid off the chapel's roof and onto us. It was early October, and we'd had early snow last night that had started melting almost immediately. As a result, the stuff fell on us was very wet and very cold.**

**Lissa took the brunt of it, but I still yelped as icy water landed on my hair and neck. A few others squealed nearby too, having caught the edge of the mini-avalanche.**

"**You okay?" I asked her. Her coat was drenched, and her platinum hair clung to the sides of her face.**

"**Y-yeah," she said through chattering teeth.**

I had never realized what a bitch I had been to the both of them. I had been so wrapped up in my hatred for Lissa's brother that I refused to see the difference between the two siblings. Sometimes it still surprised me that Rose and Lissa are friends with me despite how cruel I was to them.

**I pulled off my coat and handed it to her. It had a slick surface and had repelled most of the water. "Take yours off."**

"**But you'll be‒"**

"**Take this."**

**She did, and as she slipped on my coat, I finally tuned into the laughter that always follows these situations. I avoided the eyes, instead focusing on holding lissa's wet jacket while she changed.**

"**Wish you hadn't been wearing a coat, Rose," said Ralf Sarcozy, an unusally bulky and plump Moroi. I hated him. "That shirt would have looked good wet."**

"**That's shirt so ugly it should be burned. Did you get that from a homeless person?"**

I turn to look at Lissa. "I'm sorry for how much of a bitch I was. I was consumed with hatred and I didn't want to see the difference between you and Andre. I was cruel and bitter, and you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

Lissa smiles at me. "You're forgiven. It's all in the past. It no longer matters; you're one of my best friends and I wouldn't change that for anything."

Nodding my head, I turn back to Olena, feeling a little less guilty for the way I had acted. I knew it was going to get worse, and I just hope that I'm still alive by the end of this book.

**I glanced up as Mia walked over and looped her arm through Aaron's. her blond curls were arranged perfectly, and she had on an awesome pair of black heels that would have looked so much better on me. At least they made her look taller, I'd give her that. Aaron had been a few steps behind us but had miraculously avoided being nailed by the slush. Seeing how smug she looked, I decided there'd been no miracles involved.**

"**I suppose you want to offer to burn it, huh?" I asked, refusing to let her know how much the insult bugged me. I knew perfectly well my fashion sense had slipped over the last two years. "Oh, wait‒fire isn't your element, is it? You work with water. What a coincidence that a bunch just fell on us."**

**Mia looked as if she'd been insulted, but the gleam in her eyes showed that she was enjoying this way too much to be an innocent bystander. "What's that supposed to mean?"**

"**Nothing to me. But Ms. Kirova will probably have something to say when she finds out you used magic against another student."**

"**That wasn't an attack,"she scoffed. "And it wasn't me. It was an act of God."**

**A few others laughed, much to her delight. In my imagination, I responded with, **_**So is this**_**, and then slammed her into the side of the church. **

I flinch.

**In real life, Lissa simply nudged me and said, "Let's go."**

**She and I walked off toward our respective dorms, leaving behind laughter and jokes about our wet states and how Lissa wouldn't know anything about specialization. Inside, I seethed. I had to do something about Mia, I realized. In addition to the general irritation of Mia's bitchiness, I didn't want Lissa to have to deal with any more stress than she had to. We'd been okay this first week, and I wanted to keep it that way.**

"**You know," I said, "I'm thinking more and more that you stealing Aaron back is a good thing. It'll teach Bitch Doll a lesson. I bet it'd be easy, too. He's still crazy about you."**

"**I don't want to teach anyone a lesson," said Lissa. "And **_**I'm**_** not crazy about him."**

"**Come on, she picks fights and talks about us behind our backs. She accused me of getting jeans from the Salvation Army yesterday."**

"**Your jeans **_**are**_** from the Salvation Army."**

"**Well, yeah," I snorted, "but she has no right making fun of them when she's wearing stuff from Target."**

"**Hey, there's nothing wrong with Target. I like Target."**

"**So do I. That's not the point. She's trying to pass her stuff off like it's freaking Stella McCartney."**

Rose was right, it was wrong of me to try and act like I was something that I wasn't. Looking back, it feels like I was telling my parents that they weren't good enough and I never wanted them to feel like that. If I could tell my mother how much I love her I would, but it was too late.

Sensing my sudden plummet in mood, Eddie shifts and pulls me closer against his body, offering me a silent comfort.

I smile, bittersweet, and rest my head on his chest.

"**And that's a crime?"**

**I affected a solemn face. "Absolutely. You've gotta take revenge."**

"**I told you, I'm not interested in revenge." Lissa cut me a sidelong look. "And you shouldn't be either."**

**I smiled as innocently as I could, and when we parted ways, I felt relieved again that she couldn't read my thoughts.**

"**So when's he big catfight going to happen?"**

**Mason was waiting for me outside our dorm after I'd parted ways with Lissa. He looked lazy and cute, leaning against the wall with crossed arms as he watched me.**

I shake my head. I had never had gotten to meet Mason, but Eddie has told me so much about him that I feel like I really know him. I hug Eddie tighter, knowing how hard it was for him to hear about his best friend.

A deep sorrow settles over Rose and Eddie, causing the mood in the room to become suddenly serious as Dimitri and I snuggle into them.

"**I'm sure I don't know what you mean."**

**He unfolded himself and walked with me into the building, handing me his coat, since I'd let Lissa go off with my dry one. "I saw you guys sparring outside the chapel. Have you no respect for the house of God?"**

**I snorted. "You've got about as much respect for it as I do, you heathen. You didn't even go. Besides, as you said, we were **_**outside**_**."**

"**And you still didn't answer the question."**

**I just grinned and slipped on his coat.**

**We stood in the common area of our dorm, a well-supervised lounge and study area where male and female students could mingle, along with Moroi guests. Being Sunday, it was pretty crowded with those cramming for last-minute assignments due tomorrow. Spying a small, empty table, I grabbed Mason's arm and pulled him toward it.**

"**Aren't you supposed to go straight to your room?"**

**I hunkered down in my seat, glancing around warily. "There are so many people here today, it'll take them a while to notice me. God, I'm so sick of being locked away. And it's only been a week."**

"**I'm sick of it too. We missed you last night. A bunch of us went and shot pool in the rec room. Eddie was on fire."**

**I groaned. "Don't tell me that. I don't want to hear about your glamorous social life."**

"**All right." He propped his elbow up on the table and rested his chin in his hand. "Then tell me about Mia. You're just going to turn around and punch her one day, aren't you? I think I remember you doing that at least ten times with people that pissed you off."**

"**I'm a new, reformed Rose," I said, doing my best impression of demure. Which wasn't very emitted a choking sort of laugh. "Besides, if I do that, I'll have broken my probation with Kirova. Gotta walk the straight and narrow."**

"**In other words, find some way to get back at Mia that you won't get in trouble for."**

**I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. "You know what I like about you, Mase? You think just like I do."**

"**Frightening concept," he replied drily. "So tell me what you think of this: I might know something about her, but I probably shouldn't tell you . . ."**

**I leaned forward. "Oh, you already tipped me off. You've **_**got**_** to tell me now."**

"**It'd be wrong," he teased. "How do I know you'd use this knowledge for good instead of evil?"**

**I batted my eyelashes. "Can you resist this face?"**

**He took a moment to study me. "No. I can't, actually. Okay, here you go: Mia isn't royal."**

Before I realize, "So it was him who told you about my parents. I love my parents, I do, but I was ashamed of them back then. I hate to admit that, but I was. Why'd he tell you?"

Rose nods her head a little. "Yeah. He would have done anything for me, even help me get revenge on someone."

I nod my head, having nothing else to say.

We sit in silence for a moment before Olena continues to read.

**I slouched back in my chair. "No kidding. I already knew that. I've known who's royal since I was two."**

"**Yeah, but there's more than just that. Her parents work for one of the Drozdov lords." I waved my hand impatiently. A lot of Moroi worked out in the human world, but Moroi society had plenty of jobs for its own kind too. Someone had to fill them. "Cleaning stuff. Practically servants. Her dad cuts grass and her mom's a maid."**

**I actually had a healthy respect for anyone who pulled a full day's work, regardless of the job. People everywhere had to do crappy stuff to make a living. But, much like with Target, it became another matter altogether when someone was trying to pass herself off as something else. And in the week that I'd been here, I'd picked up on how desperately Mia wanted to fit in with the school elite.**

"**No one knows," I said thoughtfully.**

"**And she doesn't want them to. Yo know how the royals are." He paused. "Well, except for Lissa, of course. They'd give Mia a hard time over it."**

"**How do you know all this?"**

"**My uncle's a guardian for the Drozdovs."**

"**And you've just been sitting on this secret, huh?"**

"**Until you broke me. So which path will you choose: good or evil?"**

"**I think I'll give her a grace‒"**

"**Miss Hathaway, you know you aren't supposed to be here."**

**One of the dorm matrons stood over us, disapproval all over her face.**

**I hadn't been joking when I said Mason thought like me. He could bullshit as well as I could. "We have a group project to do for our humanities class. How are we supposed to do it if Rose is in isolation?"**

"He really could pull the wool over people's eyes. He knew exactly what to say to make them believe him," Eddie says, speaking for the first time.

**The matron narrowed her eyes. "You don't look like you're doing work."**

**I slid over the priest's book and opened it at random. I'd placed it on the table when we sat down. "We're, um, working on this."**

**She still looked suspicious. "One hour. I'll give you one more hour down here, and I'd better actually see you working."**

"**Yes, ma'am," said Mason straight-faced. "Absolutely."**

**She wandered off, still eyeing us. "My hero," I declared.**

**He pointed at the book. "What is this?"**

"**Something the priest gave me. I had a question about the service."**

**He stared at me, astonished.**

"He's not the only one," Adrian says, trying to make Rose smile.

"**Oh, stop it and look interested." I skimmed the index. "I'm trying to find some woman named Anna."**

**Mason slid his chair over so that he was sitting right beside me. "All right. Let's 'study.'"**

**I found a page number, and it took me to the section on St. Vladimir, not surprisingly. We read through the chapter, scanning for Anna's name. When we found it, the author didn't have much to say about her. He did include an excerpt written by some guy who had apparently lived at the same time as St. Vladimir:**

_**And with Vladimir always is Anna, the daughter of Fyodor. Their love is as chaste and pure as that of brother and sister, and many times has she defended him from Strigoi who would seek to destroy him and his holiness. Likewise, it is she who comforts him when the spirit becomes too much to bear, and satan's darkness tries to smother him and weaken his own health and body. This too she defends against, for they have been bound together ever since he saved her life as a child. It is a sign of God's love that He has sent the blessed Vladimir a guardian such as her, one who is shadow-kissed and always knows what is in his heart and mind.**_

"**There you go," Mason said. "She was his guardian."**

"**It doesn't say what 'shadow-kissed' means."**

"**Probably doesn't mean anything."**

**Something in me didn't believe that. I read it again, trying to make sense of the old-fashioned language.**

"The language isn't that old, Rose." Lissa says, teasingly chastising her best friend.

**Mason watched me curiously, looking like he very much wanted to help.**

"**Maybe they were hooking up," he suggested.**

**I laughed. "He was a **_**saint**_**."**

"**So? Saints probably like sex too. That 'brother and sister' stuff is probably a cover." He pointed to one of the lines. "See? They were 'bound' together." He winked. "It's code."**

**Bound. It was a weird word choice, but that didn't necessarily mean Anna and Vladimir were ripping each other's clothes off.**

"**I don't think so. They're just close. Guys and girls can just be friends." I said it pointedly, and he gave me a dry look.**

Eddie laughs, "He hated when said things like that. He wanted so badly to be your boyfriend. He was so in love with you."

I rub my hand along his arm, trying to comfort him. A bittersweet feeling always filled him when he spoke about his best friend, Mason.

A sad expression settles on Rose's face. "I know he did. I wanted to be able to reciprocate those feelings, but I couldn't. They didn't exist."

Eddie nods his head. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you sad."

Rose stands up and walks over to Eddie, pulling him into a hug. "I know you didn't mean to make me sad. And I still love you."

Eddie chuckles, hugging Rose back. "Thanks. I was so worried you wouldn't love me anymore. But now that, that's cleared up, I think we should continue reading if we're going to finish sometime soon."

"**Yeah? **_**We're**_** friends, and I don't know what's in your 'heart and mind.'" Mason put on a fake philosopher's look. "Of course. Some might argue that one can never know what's in the heart of a woman‒"**

"**Oh, shut up," I groaned, punching him in the arm.**

"**For they are strange and mysterious creatures," he continued in his scholarly voice, "and a man must be a mind reader if he ever wishes to make them happy."**

**I started giggling uncontrollably and knew I'd probably get in trouble again. "Well, try to read my mind and stop being such a‒"**

**I stopped laughing and looked back down at the book.**

_**Bound together**_** and **_**always knows what is in his heart and mind .**_

**They had a bond, I realized. I would have bet everything I owned‒which wasn't much‒on it. The revelation was astonishing. There were lots of vague stories and myths about how guardians and Moroi 'used to have bonds.' But this was the first I'd ever heard of anyone specific that it had happened to.**

I lean back against the couch. "Is that when you started to develop your theory on spirit?" asked Lissa.

Rose nods her head. "As the book said, that was the first time I had heard anything specific about a bond. My curiosity was peaked and my need to care of Lissa led me to learn more and delve further into the world of spirit."

**Mason had noticed my startled reaction. "You okay? You look kind of weird."**

**I shrugged it off. "Yeah. Fine."**

Olena places the bookmark inside the book, placing it on the coffee table. "Who would like to read next?"

"Oh, why not? I'll read." Sydney said, raising her hand into the air.


	9. Chapter 8: New Characters

**Hey guys, this isn't the update that I promised in Drifting Apart. I was just rereading some of the chapters in attempt to get my mojo flowing again and I noticed some glaring mistakes so I'm just reposting this chapter. But I am working on the next few chapters. I have the entire book typed up I just have to go and narrate the chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own VA, Richelle Mead does**

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_Lissa's POV_

I sigh as Rose places the bookmark inside and closes the book. "I think we should take a fifteen minute break." I nod my head, agreeing with Rose. We all stand up; ready to go in search of a snack, some feeders, and the restroom when a knock sounds across the room. All of the guardians in the room tense up as Dimitri opens the door. Standing in the doorway are two guardians, whose names I couldn't remember, and three people I never thought I would see again. I grab onto Christian as my knees buckle, nearly sending me to the floor. Sudden tears fall steadily down my cheeks and sobs threaten to rip through my chest. Christian wraps his arms around my waist, holding me up. The five people walk into the room. One of the guardians steps forward slightly. "My Queen, are you alright?" I struggle to pull myself together enough to answer, but Rose answers for me. "She'll . . . she'll be fine. It's just a huge surprise, that's all." The guardian looks like he doesn't believe her, but he nods his head anyway, "alright we'll be outside, standing guard if you need anything." The two turn and leave the room.

I try to speak, to say anything to my family. I had never thought I would see them again. They had been ripped away from me during that accident. Tears are slowly falling down my mother's eyes. I hesitantly let go of Christian, testing my legs. Once I'm sure that my legs are steady enough to hold myself up, I walk over to my parents. Once I reach them I collapse into their open arms, hugging them tightly to me and praying that they won't disappear again. "Hey what about me? Don't I get a hug?" asked my brother. I laugh and let go of my parents, hugging my brother tightly to my chest.

Rose walks over to us, but she stops a few feet away, a tentative expression on her face. "You guys were dead. I know you were dead." A large, exasperated sigh escapes from my brother. "Nice to see you too Rosie." She shakes her head in annoyance at the nickname before, once again, becoming serious. "I saw your ghosts, I know I did, and . . . the doctors said you were dead." I let go of my brother and walk over to Rose, grab her hand, and walk her towards my family. Her feet drag slightly, but when we reach my family Rose just collapses into their arms, sobbing, just as I had. My parents had been substitute parents when hers ignored her. She was family, even if it wasn't technically by blood, so I walk off to the side, not wanting to ruin the reunion. "We buried you . . . all of you. They . . . they lowered your coffins . . . in-into the ground and you were gone." My brother rubs her back in a light circular motion.

When Rose calms down enough to breathe without gasping for air, Janine walks over to her and takes a hold of her hand. "Let's go sit down. We can talk and then finish reading, okay?" She nods her head, following her over to the couches. I sit down next to Christian and my parents, while Andre sits down next to Rose and Dimitri. I watch Rose, amusingly, as she refused to look anywhere else in room, only staring at my parents and Andre as though she was afraid they would disappear if she blinked.

A sudden need to know how they had gotten overwhelmed me. "Okay, I want to know how you guys got here," I said turning to face my parents. My parents and Andre all looked at each other, but it was my mother answered. "We were walking around when this bright light appeared and the next thing we know we here, alive, and being ushered into this room." I nod my head, "I don't care how you got here, but I'm glad you're here."

"I think we should introduce ourselves." I turn to Christian, "you start." He nods his head, "I'm Christian Ozera." On and on we went, introducing everyone that my parents didn't already know.

My father places his arm around my shoulders and I lean into his body. "So my little girl is Queen. How'd that happen?" "It's a long, _long_ story, but basically it happened because of Rose, Adrian, Christian, and Tasha." A confused look flits across my mother's face. "Who's Tasha?" Before I could respond, Christian answers. "She's my aunt, but she's in prison for murder and treason. Like she said it's a long story, and one of these books probably talks about it too." "What books?" Andre asks. I laugh at Rose's grumbling. "They're books about Rose's life. Apparently this mysterious person, named Richelle Mead, decided we needed to read these books to save the future. We just finished chapter six of the first book." My family nods, "well, I guess we should continue to read then."


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey, here's the chapter I promised in Drifting Apart. I really am sorry for having been absent for so long, but life got crazy and my inspiration decided to take an extended vacation.**

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns Vampire Academy, I don't. :(**

**Please read and review.**

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**Chapter 7**

_Rhea's POV_

**A COUPLE OF WEEKS PASSED AFTER that, and I soon forgot about the Anna thing as life at the Academy wrapped around me. The shock of our return had worn off a little, and we began to fall into a semi-comfortable routine. **

"Wait, what return?" my husband asks.

Several people in the room shift uncomfortably, avoiding our gaze. Finally, Rose's mother, Janine, answers. "Shortly after the . . . the accident happened, Rose and Lissa managed to escape from the Academy. They had been gone for two years before Guardian Belikov," she says, waving her hand in the direction of the tall man sitting with Rose, "found them in Portland. We brought them back to the Academy."

Utter shock pulses through my body. _Why the hell would Rose take Lissa away from safety? She has spent her entire life training to protect Moroi from danger and she thrusts Lissa straight into a dangerous situation?_

André leans away from Rose, anger present in posture. But it's Eric who says what we were all thinking. He turns to look at Rose, fury written all over his face. "Why would you even do that? Why would you take Lissa away from the safety of the Academy, Rose? I guess we're just lucky that she's still alive. We trusted you to protect her and it looks like you failed us for a while. We took you in and treated you like a daughter and you risk Lissa's safety _and_ her life."

Fury laces itself through each of his words, and I don't blame him one bit. Rose had been like a second daughter to us, but she risked our real daughter's life.

Rose averts her eyes and shakes her head. "Everyone assumed that I took her away to go to parties and go shopping, but I didn't. I took her away from this place because it was harming her to be here. I did what I had to do to protect her and you can hate but at the time, I didn't have any other options. Though I'm sure a better explanation will be given in the book."

I look down at my lap as Eric and André shift uncomfortably, not really looking at Rose. We'd all had the same line of thinking. Automatically assuming that it had been another one of Rose's reckless ideas. Leaving the academy sounded like something our Rose would do, but never Lissa. Rose was the reckless one. The one who acted off of instinct and dealt with the consequences later. She lived by her own rules, and didn't care what people thought of her. And if what she said is true, she really would do anything for my daughter. And for that, I'm begrudgingly grateful.

I motion for the Sydney girl to keep reading, hoping to diffuse some of the tension present in the room.

**My days revolved around church, lunch with Lissa, and whatever sort of social life I could scrape together outside of that. Denied any real free time, I didn't have too hard a time staying out of the spotlight, although I did manage to steal a little attention here and there, despite my noble speech to her about 'coasting through the middle.' I couldn't help it. I liked flirting, I liked groups, and I liked making smartass comments in class.**

** Her new, incognito role attracted attention simply because it was so different than before we'd left, back when she'd been so active with the royals. Most people soon let that go, accepting that the Dragomir princess was fading off the social radar and content to run with Natalie and her group.**

"It was weird when Rose suddenly stopped being Miss Social. It was like we had gotten you back except a part of you was still missing." Eddie says, leaning into Mia.

I let out a small sigh, wondering what had happened to my daughter in the time that we were gone. We had gotten a very basic story of the start of their lives after we died but I don't think they told us the really important stuff.

** Natalie's rambling still made me want to beat my head against a wall sometimes, but she was really nice‒nicer than almost any of the other royals‒and I enjoyed hanging around her most of the time.**

André suddenly laughs. "That does sound like Natalie. Always talking just to fill the space."

I shake my head in exasperation but, truthfully, that did sound like Natalie.

** And, just as Kirova had warned, I was indeed training and working out all the time. But as more time passed, my body stopped hating me. My muscles grew tougher, and my stamina increased. I still got my ass kicked in practice but not quite as badly as I used to, which was something. The biggest toll now seemed to be on my skin. Being outside in the cold so much was chaffing my face, and only Lissa's constant supply of skin-care lotions kept me from aging before my time. She couldn't do much for the blisters on my hands and feet.**

André shakes his head. "You're always so worried about how you look and I don't get it. You're beautiful, you have no reason to worry about how you look."

Rose shrugs her shoulders. "I'm surrounded by girls who are supermodel thin, beautiful by human standards. Moroi men consider dhampir women conquests, like we're some sort of prize you win at the fair. They don't really think we're pretty, they just see us a prize. So, yeah, I don't really think I'm amazingly beautiful. I know I look good, but I'm not show-stopping."

** A routine also developed with Dimitri and me. Mason had been right about him being antisocial. Dimitri didn't hang out much with the other guardians, though it was clear they all respected him. And the more I worked with him, the more I respected him too, though I didn't really understand his training methods. They didn't seem very badass. We always started by stretching in the gym, and lately he'd been sending me outside to run, braving the increasingly cold Montana autumn.**

My daughter shakes her head and smiles at Rose. "You always were one to jump in without a thought, so the idea of running away from trouble is inconceivable to you."'

Rose lets a small laugh before sticking out her tongue.

Eric rolls his eyes and huffs. "She didn't have a hard time taking our daughter away from safety, now did she?"

I watch Rose flinch at Eric's comment and scoot away from André. I shake my head, hoping that my husband would relent a little. I motion for Sydney to continue.

** Three weeks after my return to the Academy, I walked into the gym before school one day and found him sprawled on a mat, reading a Louis L'Amour book. Someone had brought in a portable CD player, and while that cheered me up at first, the song coming from it did not: "When Doves Cry" by Prince. It was embarrassing to know the title, but one of our former housemates had been obsessed with the '80s.**

** "Whoa, Dimitri," I said, tossing my bag on the floor. "I realize this is actually a current hit in Eastern Europe right now, but do you think we could maybe listen to something that wasn't recorded before I was born?"**

The boy sitting next to Lissa throws up his arms and says, "Wait, you mean Rose actually pays attention in class? Hell must really have frozen over."

I successfully suppress the urge to giggle. He's the spitting image of his father at that age except for the attitude. He makes sarcastic comments but they aren't intended to mean any harm. When we were at school, Lucas was always making snide comments to non-royal Moroi and the dhampirs, but you could tell they had been intended to inflict harm. The air of arrogance and superiority that Lucas had wrapped around him isn't present in his son, Christian. Lucas and Moria, poor, poor Moria, becoming Strigoi hadn't surprised me one bit. If Lucas thought that there was something out there that could make him better than everyone else then he'd do anything to gain it, and Moria would go right along with it because she didn't want to anger him.

I snap out of my thoughts when the Alchemist girl, Sydney, begins to read again.

** Only his eyes flicked toward me; the rest of his posture remained the same. "What does it matter to you? I'm the one who's going to be listening to it. You'll be outside running."**

** I made a face as I set my foot up on one of the bars and stretched my hamstrings. All things considered, Dimitri had a good-natured tolerance for my snarkiness. So long as I didn't slack in my training, he didn't mind my running commentary.**

** "Hey," I asked, moving on to the next set of stretches, "what's with all the running, anyway? I mean, I realize the importance of stamina and all that, but shouldn't I be moving on to something with a little hitting? They're still killing me in group practice."**

** "Maybe you should hit harder," he replied drily.**

** "I'm serious."**

** "Hard to tell the difference." He set the book down but didn't move from his sprawl. "My job is to get you ready to defend the princess and fight dark creatures, right?"**

** "Yup."**

** "So tell me this: suppose you manage to kidnap her again and take her off to the mall. While your there, a Strigoi comes at you. What will you do?"**

** "Depends on what store we're in."**

Rose's mother Janine shakes her head in exasperation. "Must you make everything a joke, Rose?"

Rose rolls her eyes. "Yes I do, and you know that you would miss my joking, sarcastic ways if I was didn't."

Janine sighs before answering. "Unfortunately, that's probably true."

** He looked at me.**

** "Fine. I'll stab him with a silver stake."**

** Dimitri sat up now, crossing his long legs in one fluid motion. I still couldn't figure out how someone so tall could be so graceful. "Oh?" He raised his dark eyebrows. "Do you have a silver stake? Do you even know how to use one?"**

** I dragged my eyes away from his body and scowled. Made with elemental magic, silver stakes were a guardian's deadliest weapon. Stabbing a Strigoi through the heart with one meant instant death. The blades were also lethal to Moroi, so they weren't given out lightly to novices. My classmates had just started learning how to use them. I'd trained with a gun before, but no one would let me near a stake yet. Fortunately, there were two other ways to kill a Strigoi.**

** "Okay. I'll cut off his head off."**

** "Ignoring the fact that you don't have a weapon to do that, how will you compensate for the fact that he may be a foot taller than you?"**

** I straightened up from touching my toes, annoyed. "Fine, then I'll set him on fire.**

** "Again, with what?"**

** "Alright I give up. You've already got the answer. You're just messing with me. I'm at the mall and I see a Strigoi. What do I do?"**

** He looked at me and didn't blink. "You run."**

** I repressed the urge to throw something at him.**

"Since when do you suppress the urge to throw things? And besides, isn't that how you and Lissa became friends anyway?" Eddie asks jokingly.

"Hey, I have matured a great deal since then, and yes that's how we became friends so anybody who thinks throwing things is bad can just kiss my a . . ."

"You better not finish that statement with my eight-year-old son and my daughter, who is just learning how to talk, in the room." A very angry looking mother says.

"Sorry Karolina, I kind of forgot that Paul and Zoya are in the room. I promise to try not to cuss."

Giving a curt nod, the mother motions for Sydney to continue.

**When I finished my stretches, he told me he'd run with me. That was a first. Maybe running would give me some insight into his killer reputation.**

** We set out into the chilly October evening. Being back on a vampiric schedule still felt weird to me. With school about to start in an hour, I expected the sun to be coming up, not down. But it was sinking on the western horizon, lighting up the snow-capped mountains with an orange glow. It didn't really warm things up, and I soon felt the cold pierce my lungs as my need for oxygen deepened. We didn't speak. He slowed his pace to mine, so we stayed together.**

** Something about that bothered me; I suddenly very much wanted his approval. So I picked up my own pace, working my lungs and muscles harder. Twelve laps around the track made three miles; we had nine to go.**

** When we reached the third-to-last loop, a couple of other novices passed by, preparing to go to the group practice I'd soon be at as well. Seeing me, Mason cheered. "Good form, Rose!"**

** I smiled and waved back.**

** "You're slowing down," Dimitri snapped, jerking my gaze from the boys. The harshness in his voice startled me. "Is this why your times aren't getting any faster? You're easily distracted?"**

"Dimitri, that was really very harsh." A woman, who I'm assuming is his mother, says."

"Sorry Mama. I did out of jealously, he could be with Rose and I couldn't."

Smiling, Rose leans into Dimitri's body and rests her head on his chest. "It doesn't matter anymore. We're together now and that's all that matters."

** Embarrassed, I increased my speed once more, despite the fact that my body started screaming obscenities at me. We finished the twelve laps, and when he checked, he found we'd shaved two minutes off my best time.**

** "Not bad, huh?" I crowed when we headed back inside for cool-down stretches. "Looks like I could get as far as the Limited before the Strigoi got me at the mall. Not sure how Lissa would do."**

"Only you could make a joke out of being killed by a Strigoi. But if she was with you, the two of you would have been okay." Adrian says, finishing with a light shrug of his shoulders.

** "If she was with you, she'd be okay."**

Adrian's face morphs into fake horror. "I think like Belikov? Somebody, please shot me now!"

Ignoring Adrian's antics, Sydney starts reading the chapter again.

** I looked up in surprise. It was the first real compliment he'd paid me since I'd started training with him. His brown eyes watched me, both approving and amused.**

** And that's when it happened.**

** I felt like someone had shot me. Sharp and biting, terror exploded in my body and in my head. Small razors of pain. My vision blurred, and for a moment, I wasn't standing there. I was running down a flight of stairs, scared and desperate, needing to get out of there, needing to find . . . me.**

Terror pulsed through me. _What happens?_ I glance over at Eric and see the same terror reflected in his eyes.

** My vision cleared, leaving me back on the track and out of Lissa's head. Without a word to Dimitri, I tore off, running as fast as I could toward the Moroi dorm. It didn't matter that I'd just put my legs through a mini-marathon. They ran hard and fast, like they were shiny and new. Distantly, I was aware of Dimitri catching up to me, asking me what was wrong. But I couldn't answer him. I had one task and one alone: get to the dorm.**

** Its looming, ivy-covered form was just coming into view when Lissa met up with us, her face streaked with tears. I came to a jarring stop, my lungs ready to burst.**

** "What's wrong? What happened?" I demanded, clutching her arms, forcing her to look in me in the eyes.**

** But she couldn't answer. She just flung her arms around me, sobbing into my chest. I held her there, stroking her sleek, silky hair while I told her it was going to be all right‒whatever 'it' was. **

"You mean Rose has a heart?" Christian declares, throwing a hand on his heart.

Rose picks up an empty water bottle and stares at it as though she was deep in contemplation. "You know Fire Crotch . . . I do have a heart," Rose drawls before chucking the water bottle, hitting him right between the eyes. "Just no when it comes to you."

Shaking her head, Sydney picks up the book mark. "Can I continue reading or would you rather just make snarky comments all day?"

Not waiting for Christian or Rose's answer Lissa nods her head. "Yeah they'll be quiet if they know what's good for them."

**And honestly, I didn't care what it was just then. She was here, and she was safe, which was all that mattered. Dimitri hovered over us, alert and ready for any threat, his body coiled for an attack. I felt safe with him beside us.**

** A half hour later, we were crammed inside Lissa's dorm room with three other guardians, Ms. Kirova, and the hall matron. This was the first time I had seen Lissa's room. Natalie had indeed managed to get her as a roommate, and the two sides of the room were a study in contrasts. Natalie's looked lived in, with pictures on the wall and a frilly bedspread that wasn't dorm-issue. Lissa had as few possessions as I did, making half noticeably bare. She did have one picture taped to the wall, a picture taken from last Halloween, when we'd dressed up like fairies, complete with wings and glittery makeup. Seeing that picture and remembering how things used to be made a dull pain form in my chest.**

Sighing, my daughter leans her head against Christian's shoulder. "Things had been so much simpler then. I mean we were on the run yeah, but it was just us and there wasn't any politics to maneuver, no mine fields to be aware of."

No one had anything to say, so Sydney quickly begins reading.

** With all the excitement, no one seemed to remember that I wasn't supposed to be in there. Outside in the hall, other Moroi girls crowded together, trying to figure out what was going on. Natalie pushed her way through them, wondering what commotion in her room was. When she discovered it, she came to a screeching halt.**

** Shock and disgust showed on almost everyone's faces as we stared at Lissa's bed. There was a fox on the pillow. Its coat was reddish-orange, tinged in white. It looked so soft and cuddly that it could have been a pet, perhaps a cat, something you'd hold in your arms and snuggle with.**

Sydney pauses, looking a little green. Taking a deep breath she continues.

** Aside from the fact that its throat had been slashed.**

My stomach does a flip and I place a hand over my mouth, hoping not to vomit. I look around the room and notice that everyone who hadn't been there were also looking nauseated.

Deciding we need to finish this part of the chapter as quickly as possible, Sydney begins to read in a strained, tight-lipped voice.

** The inside of the throat looked pink and jellylike. Blood stained that soft coat and had run down onto the yellow bedspread, forming a dark pool that spread across the fabric. The fox's eyes stared upward, glazed, over with a sort of shocked look about them, like the fox couldn't believe this was happening.**

** Nausea built up in my stomach, but I forced myself to keep looking. I couldn't afford to be squeamish. I'd be killing Strigoi someday. If I couldn't handle a fox, I'd never survive major kills.**

** What had happened to the fox was sick and twisted, obviously done by someone too fucked up for words. Lissa stared at it, her face death-pale, and took a few steps toward it, hand involuntarily reaching out. This gross act hit her hard, I knew, digging at her love of animals. She loved them, they loved her. While on our own, she'd often begged me for a pet, but I'd always refused and reminded her we couldn't take care of one when we might have to flee at a moment's notice. Plus, they hated me. So she'd contented herself with helping and patching up strays she found and making friends with other people's pets, like Oscar the cat.**

** She couldn't patch this fox up, though. There was no coming back for it, but I saw her face she wanted to help it, like she helped everything. I took her hand and steered her away, suddenly recalling a conversation from two years ago.**

**_"What is that? Is it a crow?"_**

**_ "Too big. It's a raven."_**

**_ "Is it dead?"_**

**_ "Yeah. Definitely dead. Don't touch it."_**

** She hadn't listened to me back then. I hoped she would now.**

"Oh come on, do we not get to know what happened?" Andre exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.

Rose shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "I'm sure you'll find out what happened later on but, for now, no."

** "It was still alive when I got back," Lissa whispered to me, clutching my arm. "Barely. Oh God, it was twitching. It must have suffered so much."**

** I felt bile rise in my throat now. Under circumstances would I throw up. "Did you‒?"**

** "No. I wanted to . . . . I started to . . . ."**

** "Then forget about it," I said sharply. "It's stupid. Somebody's stupid joke. They'll clean it up. Probably even give you a new room if you want."**

** She turned to me, eyes almost wild. "Rose . . . do you remember . . . that one time . . . ."**

** "Stop it," I said. "Forget about it. This isn't the same thing."**

** "What if someone saw? What if someone knows? . . ."**

** I tightened my grip on her arm, digging my nails in to get her attention. She flinched. "No. It's not the same. It has nothing to do with that. Do you hear me?" I could feel both Natalie and Dimitri's eyes on us. "It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay."**

** Not looking like she believed me at all, Lissa nodded.**

** "Get this cleaned up," Kirova snapped to the matron. "And find out if anyone saw anything."**

** Someone finally realized I was there and ordered Dimitri to take me away, no matter how much I begged them to let me stay with Lissa. **

"Why wouldn't they let you stay Lissa? She was obviously distressed and they couldn't let her have her best friend with her?" I asked disgustedly.

"My sister needed Rose and Kirova couldn't past the end of her own nose. Pathetic."

**He walked me back to the novices' dorm. He didn't speak until we were almost there. "You know something. Something about what happened. Is this what you meant when you told Headmistress Kirova that Lissa was in danger?"**

** "I don't know anything. It's just some sick joke."**

** "Do you have any idea who'd do it? Or why?"**

** I considered this. Before we'd left, it could have been any number of people. That was the way it was when you were popular. People loved you, people hated you. But now? Lissa had faded off to a certain extent. The only person who really and truly despised her was Mia, but Mia seemed to fight her own battles with words, not actions. And even if she did decide to do something ore aggressive, why do this? She didn't seem like the type. There were a million other ways to get back at a person.**

"Why wouldn't you tell Dimitri who you thought might be responsible? He was her guardian, he needed to know if there was a potential threat to Lissa," Alberta says.

"I may not have liked Mia, but I didn't want to prematurely squeal and get her in trouble for something, which we know now, she didn't do." Rose replies as though it was obvious.

** "No," I told him. "No clue."**

** "Rose, if you know something, tell me. We're on the same side. We both want to protect her. This is serious."**

** I spun around, taking my anger over the fox out on him. "Yeah, it ****_is_**** serious. It's all serious. And you have me doing laps every day when I should be learning to fight and defend her! If you want to help her, then teach me something! ****_Teach me how to fight_****. I already know how to run away."**

** I didn't realize until that moment how badly I want to learn, how I wanted to prove myself to him, to Lissa, and to everyone else. The fox incident had made me feel powerless, and I didn't like that. I wanted to do something, ****_anything_****.**

"Rose has always been like that though, but I think most people are. Feeling powerless drives people insane." Christian says, leaning into Lissa and holding her tightly. "Especially people like Rose. You're trained to do something, anything and when you can't it drives you nuts."

Rose cocks her head to the side. "When did you get so wise Chrissy?"

Christian rolls his eyes in exasperation and shakes his head. "Am I wrong?"

"No, I was just wondering when you got so smart." Rose says, batting her eyelashes in fake innocence.

Sydney lets out a deep, annoyed sigh before continuing on with the chapter.

** Dimitri watched my outburst calmly, with no change in his expression. When I finished, he simply beckoned me forward like I hadn't said anything. "Come on. You're late for practice." **

"That's the end of the chapter," Sydney says, placing the bookmark in the book. "Who wants to read next?"

When no one raises their hand, Rose raises hers, "I guess I'll read." She reluctantly takes the book from Sydney and opens up to the next chapter.


End file.
